Smart Devices Getting Hijacked By Domestic Abusers

An alarming trend is being reported by abuse victims and their advocates: Thermostats, doorbells, locks, speakers and other electronically-controlled devices are being taken over by abusive spouses, “for harassment, monitoring, revenge and control.” Legal recourse is limited, or at least unclear at this point, and lawyers are said to be working on how to tweak restraining orders so they will address the problem. When a couple acquires these devices, according to some researchers, they are more often installed by the man, who then understands how they work and is likely to be the one with the control app on his phone. One alleged victim, a physician, says she is working on figuring out the technology, but meanwhile her plan for the smart thermostat is “to pull it out of the wall.”