Stalking | Take Back The Tech

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A drawing with four women in squares on a computer screen. Each woman looks different, their hair or faces have tones of purple, blue, pink. Green lines like smoke float from their mouths, forming clouds above, on top of the computer screen and beyond. Behind the screen there is a definition of stalking that their experiencias and ideas are shaping. Artist: Laura Mercedes Ibáñez López

Discrimination, abuse, exploitation, stalking, harassment, or cyberbullying reproduce gender-based violence and affect the offline lives of victims/survivors, evidencing the impact of virtual and technological spaces on everyday life. Online Gender-Based Violence (OGBV) is a continuation of offline…

Stalkerware and targeted digital surveillance: what it is and what are the strategies to protect ourselves collectively - title of the Feminist Learning Circle. The background is black and a group of women, their silhouettes drawn in different colors, are gathered in a circle, yellow lines of conversation come out of their mouths and create a yellow cloud above their heads. Image by: Laura Ibáñez López

Stalkerware and targeted digital surveillance: what it is and what strategies can we use to look out for one another collectively

“This violence is intersectional and may be accompanied by other forms of violence. A person can be physically followed, stalked, or spied on for subsequent threats. It all comes together. A holistic vision is needed to approach this work and undertake a risk assessment that tries to detect digital…

Illustration of a computer screen with a hand typing, exploring options to defend against stalking. Options on the screen include name alert, block and report a problem. A glass of water is on the left side of the computer and a plant is on the right. Illustration by Laura Ibáñez López.

Tech-facilitated intimate partner stalking countermeasures: Part 2

This is the third article in this series. The previous articles explained stalkerware and how it may lead to image-based abuse, some popular techniques of stalking that involve commonly used apps, features, online services and devices, and potential countermeasures to them. Note: Searching for,…

Tech-facilitated intimate partner stalking countermeasures: Part 1

Note: Searching for, removing or disabling the means of stalking may alert the stalker. This may potentially cause the abuse to escalate, pose a risk to the target’s physical safety, and close their avenues to seek help or exit the relationship. If you are someone experiencing stalking or…

Protecting against stalkerware and exposure of private images

Search for “How to spy on my spouse” on the internet (or replace “spouse” with “lover”, “girlfriend”, or “boyfriend”) and it reveals a disturbing reality. There are scores of results for persons who suspect their partners of infidelity, or are frustrated and heart-broken over an unexpected or messy…

Tech-facilitated stalking countermeasures- Part 3

This is the fourth and final article in this series.Risk assessmentAll stalkers are not equal. Different stalkers have different motives and capabilities. Some want to keep their targets in a state of fear and anxiety but do not have the ability or opportunity to directly cause them physical harm…

A group of people hanging out together with tech symbols in the background. On the left of the image are a couple of people tackling a concentrated group of social media icons. On the right is a person pushing a wheelchair user looking at her phone. In the middle are four people sitting on the ground, using a phone and laptops while talking and laughing with each other. Text in the image: Hey friend, let’s take back the tech together. 16 Days of Activism

#HeyFriend: Let's Take Back The Tech Together | 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

Stalking moves like water, from offline to online and back again. Many young girls and queer people face it as a real threat in their lives, from family and “friends” to the general online public who just may not like what they post online, or take an obsessive interest in their content and their…

A woman with curly hair sitting cross legged on the floor looking at her cell phone, which is looking back at her with a spotlight.

Let's talk about stalking and ex-lovers (and situationships too)

Do you feel like someone is following you online, even though you may have blocked their profiles?Sometimes, the digital world may not be as friendly as we had hoped. In it, we may be surrounded by violence, discrimination, exploitation, abuse, harrassment and stalking - similar to the offline…