Essay Sample on Role of Technology in Abuse and Stalking

The advent of technology resulted in dynamic changes in the lives of human beings. Technology has continued to grow with the growing population where people are consistently becoming creative. However, the advancement in technology has been coupled with several challenges and emerging issues that need to be addressed immediately.

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The major advancement that was realized in technology was the invention of the internet. However, the invention was coupled with a lot of compromise especially in the security and privacy of data and information that is kept online. Much of the information that is recorded and stored online, has been abused by hackers who go-ahead to collect it and manipulate it for their personal malicious needs (Woodlock, 2017).

As much as technology is useful to the majority of the population, it has been used by abusers to advance harassment, threaten, monitor, exploit, impersonate victims, and violate their subjects. While abusers use technology to exercise control over their victims, many people are not aware of what constitutes digital abuse together with the recognition of the indicators.

Abuse of technology has majorly been established in the young population and terrorists. The young population and part of the adults use technology to spread pornographic materials that contribute to significant sexual abuse and violence. With increased globalization, the young generation has used technology to their detriment where it has been reported to erode morals among them.

Consequently, diversity of tactics and malicious behaviors have also applied that range from sharing of embarrassing and cruel content about people thus, intimidating them. The abuse also incorporates racism, homophobia, religious prejudice among other forms of oppression. Women have also been reported to be intimidated online with offline abuse.

Stalking is another issue that has been eminent in technological advancement. It is majorly utilized by terrorists and hackers to monitor information and data that people feed on the internet. Additionally, in most organizations, there is the adoption of the CCTVs that are used for surveillance and the monitoring of peoples' movement.

In modern days, people leave a lot of information and data on social media. It is enhanced through typical activities such as tweeting, the normal Facebook and WhatsApp status, or the use of GPS in finding locations of places that are used by abusers to stalk and control their subjects (Southworth et al, 2005). Mobile phones have been a common target for surveillance since they are used by many people. As such, abusers have taken to task to monitor calls that people make, texts, and voicemails. Mobile phones and tablets are used as recording devices.

Most of the electronic devices are fixed with GPS. It makes it easier to track subjects through tablets, laptops, systems of vehicles, and any other location devices designed for the elders or children. At times, stalkers have access to devices like computers particularly those signed up with Google. They can track the victims by looking at the history and the websites visited.

Stalkers also use applications that function with location to track users. The applications also request for the details of the users that stalkers misuse to harass or impersonate the victim by creating accounts that are false and post fake information concerning them. The goal of technology abuse and stalking is usually to isolate the victims from their immediate friends and family or to damage the credibility of the target.

References

Southworth, C., Dawson, S., Fraser, C., & Tucker, S. (2005). A high-tech twist on abuse: Technology, intimate partner stalking, and advocacy. Violence Against Women.

Woodlock, D. (2017). The abuse of technology in domestic violence and stalking. Violence against women, 23(5), 584-602.