APA Citation
Chatterjee, R., Doerfler, P., Orgad, H., Havron, S., Palmer, J., Freed, D., Levy, K., Dell, N., McCoy, D., & Ristenpart, T. (2018). The Spyware Used in Intimate Partner Violence. *IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy*, 441-458.
Summary
This groundbreaking cybersecurity research examined the digital surveillance tools used by abusers to monitor and control intimate partners. The study analyzed hundreds of spyware applications marketed for "family safety" but commonly used for intimate partner surveillance. Researchers documented how these tools enable abusers to track location, monitor communications, access photos, and maintain psychological control even after physical separation. The study revealed the sophisticated technological methods narcissistic abusers use to extend their surveillance and control beyond traditional boundaries.
Why This Matters for Survivors
This research validates the experiences of survivors who feel constantly watched and monitored by their abusers, even when physically apart. It provides crucial evidence that digital stalking is real, sophisticated, and widespread. For survivors questioning whether they're being surveilled, this study offers concrete information about how abusers use technology to maintain control and psychological dominance.
What This Research Establishes
Digital surveillance is a systematic tool of intimate partner abuse, with hundreds of spyware applications readily available and marketed to potential abusers under the guise of “family safety” or “employee monitoring.”
Abusers use sophisticated technological methods to maintain control, including real-time location tracking, message interception, photo access, and comprehensive monitoring of all digital activities on victims’ devices.
Technology-facilitated abuse extends coercive control beyond physical presence, allowing narcissistic abusers to maintain psychological dominance and surveillance even when victims attempt to establish physical distance or independence.
The spyware ecosystem is vast and easily accessible, with applications designed to hide their presence completely while providing abusers with detailed information about their victims’ daily lives, communications, and movements.
Why This Matters for Survivors
If you’ve ever felt like your abuser somehow knows things they shouldn’t know about your activities, communications, or whereabouts, this research validates your instincts. Digital surveillance is real, sophisticated, and unfortunately common in abusive relationships. Your feeling of being constantly watched may be based in technological reality, not paranoia.
This study provides concrete evidence that narcissistic abusers systematically use technology to maintain control and gather information. Understanding these tactics can help you make informed decisions about your digital safety and security. Your privacy violations are not imagined—they are documented patterns of abuse.
The research also highlights why establishing true independence from a narcissistic abuser has become more complex in the digital age. Traditional safety planning must now include technological considerations, from device security to digital privacy measures.
Most importantly, this research has led to the development of better resources and tools for survivors. Organizations now understand the technological dimensions of abuse and can provide more comprehensive support for digital safety planning and recovery.
Clinical Implications
Clinicians working with intimate partner violence survivors must now assess for technology-facilitated abuse as a standard part of safety planning and trauma treatment. The psychological impact of constant digital surveillance creates unique trauma responses that require specialized understanding and intervention approaches.
Therapists need to understand how digital surveillance creates persistent hypervigilance and anxiety that may continue even after physical separation from the abuser. The feeling of being constantly watched, monitored, and tracked creates complex trauma responses that traditional IPV treatment protocols may not fully address.
Safety planning must incorporate digital security measures, including device replacement, account security, and privacy protection strategies. Clinicians should collaborate with technology safety specialists and domestic violence advocates who understand the technical aspects of surveillance tools and countermeasures.
The research underscores the importance of validating clients’ experiences of feeling monitored or stalked when they report concerns about digital surveillance. These concerns are often based in technological reality and should be taken seriously as part of comprehensive abuse assessment and intervention planning.
How This Research Is Used in the Book
This cybersecurity research provides crucial evidence for understanding how narcissistic abusers use modern technology to extend their control and surveillance beyond traditional boundaries. The study’s documentation of widespread surveillance tools helps survivors understand the technological dimensions of coercive control.
“The narcissist’s need for control doesn’t end at physical boundaries—it extends into the digital realm through sophisticated surveillance technologies that can track every aspect of a victim’s life. Understanding these tools is essential for survivors seeking true independence and recovery from narcissistic abuse.”
Historical Context
Published in 2018 at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, this research represented a crucial turning point in cybersecurity research by focusing on the human impact of surveillance technologies rather than purely technical vulnerabilities. The study emerged during a period of increasing awareness about technology-facilitated abuse and helped establish digital stalking as a legitimate area of academic inquiry within both computer science and domestic violence research communities.
Further Reading
• Freed, D., Palmer, J., Minchala, D., Levy, K., Ristenpart, T., & Dell, N. (2018). “A Stalker’s Paradise”: How Intimate Partner Abusers Exploit Technology. Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
• Woodlock, D. (2017). The abuse of technology in domestic violence and stalking. Violence Against Women, 23(5), 584-602.
• Dragiewicz, M., Burgess, J., Matamoros-Fernández, A., Salter, M., Suzor, N. P., Woodlock, D., & Harris, B. (2018). Technology facilitated coercive control: Domestic violence and the competing roles of digital media platforms. Feminist Media Studies, 18(4), 609-625.
About the Author
Rahul Chatterjee is a cybersecurity researcher at Cornell Tech specializing in privacy and security for vulnerable populations.
Diana Freed is a computer scientist at Cornell Tech whose work focuses on technology-facilitated abuse and survivor safety.
Thomas Ristenpart is a Professor of Computer Science at Cornell Tech, leading research on privacy-preserving technologies and security for at-risk users.
Nicola Dell is an Associate Professor at Cornell Tech studying computing technologies for underserved populations, including abuse survivors.
Historical Context
Published in 2018 at a premier cybersecurity conference, this research was among the first to systematically document the technological tools used in intimate partner violence, bridging the gap between cybersecurity research and domestic violence advocacy during the smartphone era.
Frequently Asked Questions
Abusers install spyware on partners' devices to track location, read messages, access photos, and monitor all digital activity, maintaining psychological control even when physically separated.
Yes, many spyware applications can be installed remotely or during brief physical access to your device, often hiding their presence completely from the device user.
Warning signs include unusual battery drain, increased data usage, device running slowly, receiving strange text messages, or feeling like someone knows your activities.
Research shows that technology-facilitated abuse affects the majority of intimate partner violence cases, with surveillance being one of the most common tactics used by abusers.
While some spyware can be removed, many applications hide deeply in device systems. The safest approach is often getting a completely new device and accounts when safely possible.
Yes, many applications marketed for child safety or family tracking are commonly repurposed by abusers to monitor and control intimate partners without consent.
Absolutely. Digital surveillance and stalking are recognized forms of intimate partner violence that cause significant psychological harm and are illegal in many jurisdictions.
Constant digital surveillance creates persistent fear, anxiety, and hypervigilance, making survivors feel trapped and unable to seek help or establish independence safely.