Tech Safety Summit 2024: Leading the Change Against Technology-Facilitated Abuse

Initial intro led by Emma Pickering - introduce the platinum sponsor. This is to set the scene – why we are launching the Summit it’s intended objectives, housing keeping etc

Survivor advocate, to help agencies understand the link between technology-facilitated abuse and the direct impact for the survivor. 

Introduce the topic of Technology-Facilitated Abuse and the specialist service – the only one of its kind in the UK designed to respond to survivors of TFA. The work we are doing internally to transform Refuge into an organisation that recognizes and responds to TFA. Share insights from our recording on how technology is misused to exert power and control of survivors and strategies to enhance safety. The session is designed to help participants understand the evolving nature of TFA, joined by a panel of expert speakers who share their insight into TFA from both their organizational perspectives. Exploring the work that has evolved over the last decade. Exploring UCLs work relating to a definition to help define TFA and capture the true scale and impact.

Session to support participants to help gather evidence of technology-facilitated abuse. Exploring practical options when supporting survivors of technology-facilitated abuse. Why using an app to gather evidence can present challenges for some survivors. How to document evidence and safely compile for the police and criminal justice system. Challenges and risks for survivors.

The session will explore the many ways in which survivors can be tracked and located via the use of technology. It explores commonly used tactics and lesser-known examples of monitoring and tracking. Participants will learn how this type of abuse occurs and how to find solutions. With a particular focus for agencies supporting survivors in refuge-based services.

The session will explore how vehicles are increasingly linked with GPS trackers and Apps and the risks these pose for survivors fleeing abuse. What are the concerns and what are the solutions. Examining vehicle forensics and how survivors can collate evidence of tracking via Apps.

Session to help participants understand that economic and technology-facilitated abuse often occurs concurrently as part of a pattern of coercive control. The session will share expert findings from our Economic Leads, share economic resources and solutions for agencies supporting survivors of economic abuse.

The rise of the manosphere and InCel culture in recent years has led to an explosion of violent misogynistic extremist content online. Beliefs that have become commonplace in the digital world have spilt over into real life, in the forms of massacres and violent attacks against women. While ample research is being carried out into other areas of these movements, one area is often overlooked: what about the experiences and the effects on Black women? Black women are disproportionately targeted for abuse, harassment, and violence – both online and in real life. This disproportionality is even more evident in the world of the manosphere, as race and, more specifically, misogynoir plays a huge role in the extreme misogynistic ideologies of the manosphere.

In the Domestic Act 2021 Children were identified and recognised as victims of domestic abuse, we share insights and case studies of our work we both the non-abusive parent and children of technology-facilitated abuse. Providing examples for participants of how to identify TFA when supporting children and safety measures to protect them.

Session exploring how technology-facilitated abuse manifests in clinical settings. How assistive technology is a necessary need for many people with disabilities, however, exploring the impact this has if they are victimized via technology. How to identify and find solutions for survivors.

Session exploring the rise in Sextortion cases amongst both young girls and boys. Inviting expert speakers to talk about the rise in reports and solutions for young people. How parents and carers can identify this type of abuse and what is required from legislators and tech developers to keep young people safer online.

Sharing findings from the Churchill Fellowship research. Identifying examples of best practice, highlighting the work of other agencies internationally such as Safety Net and WesNet. Sharing key recommendations for the Government and agencies working and supporting survivors in the UK.

An opportunity for reflections, asking any questions and summary of the day.

The session will cover tech assessments, how to support agencies and survivors to identify technology-facilitated abuse. How to develop a safety plan for survivors – including their children. How they advise differs depending on if the survivor is fleeing abuse or remaining in the relationship. Sharing our resources, overview of our visual tools and the Tech Safety website – interactive session.

Session overview to explain the aims and objectives of the Stalkerware Coalition and our roles within the coalition. Explore the ways in which perpetrators are increasingly using stalkerware to monitor and survey their victims. How parental apps are now increasingly being designed with stalkerware features. What are the signs, how to identify the software and what are the solutions?

Session exploring how marginalised survivors are impacted by technology-facilitated, cultural considerations and impacts. With a focus on social media, the misuse of deep fake technology to target and abuse survivors. How we identify this abuse, the challenges and how we develop bespoke safety plans for survivors.

As technology develops and becomes more sophisticated, we see more examples of the use of Artificial Intelligence. What does this mean for our survivors, what are the risks and how can we support survivors to stay safe while using their devices and accounts. How can we utilize AI to capture evidence to seek criminal prosecution.

Session to help participants understand that impact of economic abuse, how abusers purposely sabotage a survivor’s ability to regain financial freedom. Exploring the ways in which abusers achieve financial sabotage. Exploring options and solutions for professionals to safeguard and support survivors and deterrents available to hold abusers to account.

Session that focuses on practical tools to empower survivors to utilize technology safely. The rise of proxy stalking and harassment on social media, how this presents and how to identify this type of abuse. Solutions for survivors to utilize social media platforms safely.

Session that focuses on practical tips to help ensure survivors are empowered to use dating platforms safely. Sharing cases and examples of harassment and abuse on platforms. How dating platforms can provide tools to keep users safe. Introduction of the Bumble reporting tool.

Session that focuses on solutions for survivors when they are faced with experiencing deepfakes – also exploring the tools used by abusers. Hearing from both survivors and experts on the subject exploring how the legislation in the UK leaves survivors at risk and what measures can be taken both by legislators and tech developers to respond and keep people safe from deepfakes and intimate image-based abuse.

Exploring what the Online Safety Act means for survivors of TFA, how we are recording our trends and sharing information with Ofcom. Our past reports referencing online safety and concerns survivors have raised. Challenges and how we can ensure that support women and children to stay safe online.

Addressing the idea that tech is neutral, and while still squarely placing accountability with abusers, pointing to how, nevertheless, there are things that tech companies can do to mitigate harm and prevent abuse. Laying out the array of actors - government regulation, industry standards, inside companies (trust and safety, product design).

Leading tech developers and software experts share examples of how they are making efforts to mitigate the risk of harm caused by technology-facilitated abuse. The challenges and our role in supporting to mitigate the risk of harm. Refuge to share trends and case examples of how products have been used to cause harm, and examples of best practice we expect to see in the design features of tech products.

The Government has announced that they are making tackling technology-facilitated abuse a priority, but what does this mean for survivors? Where are the gaps and what is needed to help ensure all agencies are equipped to identify and respond to survivors of technology-facilitated abuse.

An opportunity for reflections, asking any questions and summary of the Summit.