The Government must make tackling ‘tech abuse’ a priority, MPs
say today, amid a warning that the use of smart technology and
connected devices in facilitating domestic abuse is becoming a
growing problem.
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s
report Connect tech: smart or sinister also
calls for more to be done to protect the privacy and rights of
children, with young people increasingly likely to interact with
connected technology at home and in schools.
The Committee launched its inquiry in May last year to consider
both the potential benefit and harms of connected technology,
such as smart speakers, virtual assistants and wearable fitness
trackers. Government figures state that there are on average nine
connected devices in every household in the UK, while by 2050
there will be 24 billion interconnected devices worldwide.
On tech abuse, the Committee heard evidence that the vast
majority of domestic abuse cases now feature some sort of cyber
element, including the use of spyware, and perpetrators
monitoring movements and collecting recordings and images of
victims and survivors.
The report calls on the Government to improve the skills of law
enforcement and the response of the criminal justice system,
while boosting awareness of specialist services tackling violence
against women and girls. Manufacturers and distributors also need
to be brought together to mitigate risks through product design.
In response to privacy concerns raised by the use of connected
tech, the Committee recommends that the Government empowers
users, and in particular children, to exercise their rights over
their personal data through intuitive product design, clear terms
and conditions and digital literacy schemes.
, Chair of the CMS
Committee, said: “While the rising popularity of
connected technology has brought undoubted benefits to everyday
life, the flip side is the real risk some of these gadgets pose
to privacy and personal safety online. In particular, the surge
in use of devices such as smart home security systems, baby
monitors, cameras and smart speakers to monitor, harass, coerce
and control victims of domestic abuse is truly
chilling.
The Government must make it a priority to work with
manufacturers to tackle this technology-facilitated abuse, which
is only going to get worse in the future. The police and criminal
justice system must be better equipped to deal with it, while
victims should be properly supported.
Connected devices also harvest a large amount of personal
data and there are particular concerns where children are
involved. The Government and Information Commissioner’s Office
should make sure products used in schools and by young people at
home have privacy settings that are intuitive for children and
age-appropriate terms and conditions.”
Main conclusions and
recommendations
Data and privacy
- Users must be given clear information about, and a fair
chance to understand, the basis on which their data is used and
how to exercise their rights. The Government should introduce
measures to standardise privacy interfaces for connected devices.
Privacy interfaces should be appropriately accessible, intuitive
and flexible enough so users of a reasonable level of digital
literacy and privacy expectations can use them, without requiring
them to go through complex dashboards with long lists of terms
and conditions and settings.
- The use of connected tech in schools and by children in homes
raises concerns, including the harvesting and third-party use of
children’s data and their lack of control over what technology is
used and when. The Information Commissioner’s Office needs to be
more proactive and ensure that all products include
age-appropriate terms and conditions.
- The monitoring of employees in smart workplaces should be
done only with the consent of those being monitored. The
Information Commissioner's Office should develop its existing
draft guidance on “Employment practices: monitoring at work” into
a principles-based code for designers and operators of workplace
connected tech.
Product security
- The Committee supports calls from industry for the Government
to do more to address the ongoing skills shortage in the
cybersecurity sector. The Government should take steps to support
the availability of free courses, encourage more professionals to
become cybersecurity educators, improve the provision of core
professional skills among the workforce and incentivise industry
to improve hiring practices and retention rates.
Technology-facilitated abuse
- The Government must make tackling technology-facilitated
abuse, or "tech abuse", a priority. The Government's response to
tech abuse should involve upskilling law enforcement to improve
the criminal justice response and increasing law enforcement's
and victims' and survivors' awareness of specialist services
tackling violence against women and girls.
- The Office for Product Safety and Standards should convene a
‘tech abuse working group’ to bring the industry together to
tackle tech abuse.
The Committee will publish a second report later in the summer
focussing on the impact of connected tech and AI on the creative
industries.
