Tech abuse clinic
Modeled on clinics to help people experiencing domestic violence, a Tech abuse clinic provides support to people experiencing intimate partner violence and other forms of abusive power and control that is enabled by technology.
People who work in clinics often have specialized training to help clients understand, evaluate and mitigate the many ways that technology can be used in an abusive relationship. Examples include an abuser that uses services such as Google Maps or Apple's Find My to track a person's location, an abuser who uses access to a person's email account to monitor communications or delete messages (with or without the knowledge of the person being abused), and the use of systems like parental controls to prevent a person being abused from having control over their electronic devices.
History
The Clinic to End Tech Abuse (CETA) at CornellTech is a collaboration between the New York City Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence and the city's Family Justice Centers.[1] Academic research that led to the clinic started in 2016, and the clinic opened in 2018. It reported having helped 150 people in its first two years.[2]
United States
There are currently three Tech Abuse Clinics in the United States:
- Tech-Enabled Coercive Control Clinic (TECC), at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.
- Clinic to End Tech Abuse (CETA), at CornellTech in New York City.
- Madison Tech Clinic, at University the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin.
References
- Cornell Tech (April 6, 2020). "Cornell Tech domestic tech abuse clinic goes virtual". Cornell Chronicle. Cornell University. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- Fried, Ina (May 7, 2020). "How domestic abusers tap technology — and how to stop them". Axios. Retrieved August 3, 2023.