Definition: Companies that design and manufacture internet-connected devices and smart home systems that can be controlled remotely through apps or voice commands.
Amazon (Alexa), Apple (HomeKit), Google (Nest), Philips (Hue), Ring, Samsung (SmartThings)
Description
These developers create devices that, while designed for convenience, can be weaponized for abuse. IoT systems are typically built on the assumption that all household users trust each other, creating vulnerabilities when intimate partner violence occurs (UCL Gender and IoT Research Report, 2018).
With 99.3% of Australian frontline workers regularly assisting clients experiencing TFGBV (Woodlock et al, 2020) and an estimated 30 billion IoT devices expected by 2030 (Vailshery, 2022), addressing these design vulnerabilities is increasingly critical.
References
Brown, A., Harkin, D., & Tanczer, L. M. (2024). Safeguarding the “Internet of Things” for Victim-Survivors of Domestic and Family Violence: Anticipating Exploitative Use and Encouraging Safety-by-Design. Violence against Women. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012231222486
Tanczer, L., Lopez, I., Simon, N., Trupti, P., George, P., & London, D. (2018). Gender and IoT research report: The rise of the Internet of Things and implications for technology-facilitated abuse. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/steapp/sites/steapp/files/giot-report.pdf