Smart Devices Like Baby Monitors, Security Systems Used To Harass Victims, MP Warns

Smart devices are used to monitor our home security and kids conveniently. However, the same technology also reportedly makes it easy for criminals to find their next victim.

MP Warns About Baby Monitor, Security System

MPs warn that many products, including baby monitors, home security systems, and fitness trackers, contribute to the growing problem of technologically enabled domestic abuse. Nine of these "smart" products, according to the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, are typically found in UK households, BBC reported.

It was discovered that by gathering recordings and pictures, they were being used to "monitor, harass, coerce and control" victims. The MPs assert that the government must address the issue.

Although linked technology has unquestionably improved daily living, some of these devices pose a significant risk to online privacy and personal safety, according to committee head Caroline Dinenage. Working with manufacturers to combat this technology-enabled misuse, which will only worsen in the future, must be a top priority for the government.

Dame Caroline also demanded that victims receive more support and that the police and criminal court system be better prepared to handle the issue.

Since May 2022, the committee has been looking at the matter and evaluating the potential advantages and disadvantages of connected technology, with smart speakers and virtual assistants as further examples.

While already rampant in the UK, the devices are anticipated to be even more popular in future years. According to the committee, there will be 24 billion linked devices worldwide by 2050.

The committee's inquiry revealed evidence that the "vast majority" of domestic abuse cases now have some form of cyber component, including the deployment of spyware and offenders keeping an eye on victims' activities and gathering recordings and images of them.

Children Need Protection From Abuse

Since young people are more prone to use smart gadgets, it was determined that children particularly needed protection, not just from abuse but also from having their data and personal information taken and potentially misused.

According to Dame Caroline, the Government, and Information Commissioner's Office should ensure that products used by children at home and in schools have age-appropriate terms and conditions and privacy settings that are easy for kids to understand.

Nicole Jacobs, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, concurred that IT companies are responsible for solving the issue.

She claimed that victims and survivors are too frequently expected to protect themselves from technological abuse rather than tech corporations taking proactive measures to stop harm.

Through the Online Safety Bill, the government has made good strides against technology abuse. However, more must be done to guarantee that tech companies handle all of the instruments offenders use, including smart home appliances.

Security cameras can also be used to save kids. In 2004, a businessman from Milwaukee, William Brookins, was watching his monitor, which he had installed to protect his home and business, when he saw two little girls standing with their arms raised above their heads. He said the sight scared him, and he was wondering if it was a religious ritual, ABC News reported.

He was flipping back and forth between two cameras when he noticed that it picked up a camera signal from another household. He admitted that he continued to watch the girls to figure out what was happening.

The girls were reportedly uncomfortable, and he saw a woman hitting the younger girl. At that point, he called the police. They found the signal to be about 75 to 150 feet in an urban area, and the officers searched through the night, going door to door. They finally found the girls, and the woman suspected of hitting the children was charged with physical abuse.