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from the my-thermostat-is-holding-me-hostage dept.
In more than 30 interviews with The New York Times, domestic abuse victims, their lawyers, shelter workers and emergency responders described how the technology was becoming an alarming new tool. Abusers - using apps on their smartphones, which are connected to the internet-enabled devices - would remotely control everyday objects in the home, sometimes to watch and listen, other times to scare or show power. Even after a partner had left the home, the devices often stayed and continued to be used to intimidate and confuse.
Connected home devices have increasingly cropped up in domestic abuse cases over the past year, according to those working with victims of domestic violence. Those at help lines said more people were calling in the last 12 months about losing control of Wi-Fi-enabled doors, speakers, thermostats, lights and cameras. Lawyers also said they were wrangling with how to add language to restraining orders to cover smart home technology.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday June 26 2018, @03:42PM (1 child)
What if a person subject to a restraining order claims and insists that she did not monkey with your smart home devices?
She might be the first person to be blamed for domestic abuse, in violation of the spirit of the restraining order. But that doesn't mean she did it.
What if she used a throw-away cheap chromebook from an open WiFi network?
There is no proof that some third party random hacker hasn't hacked, or simply acquired the passwords / credentials to your so called "smart" home devices.
OTOH, in order to become the subject of a restraining order, there must have been some clear prior pattern of abuse that led to the court order.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday June 26 2018, @04:59PM
Conversely, it's harder to prove that it's not the "victim" who's overdoing it.
In the case of my friend who was accused by his wife of beating her (including that one time when he had been with independent witnesses the whole day), that could be a problem.