New forms of gendered surveillance? Intersections of technology and family violence

This chapter examines the meaning and impacts of these new technologies in the terrain of family violence. It explains how new digital technologies facilitate violence against women, with a particular focus on how technological surveillance creates new possibilities for the commission of family violence. It examines the risk assessment and management practices in Victoria, Australia. New digital technologies complicate the spaces of family violence in many ways. On the one hand, technology can be used to empower women to seek their own information and safety, but, on the other, technology presents new dangers for women living in or leaving abusive relationships. The technology is new to many advocates and victims, necessitating that advocates learn about and address these high-tech tactics, but always in the larger context of a victim's stalking experience. Importantly, digital technology can extend the reach and impact of family violence beyond the home.