Lessons from the Frontline: Rethinking Emerging Threats in the Modern Home

Ahead of the Global Summit on Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, we're excited to share guest blogs from some of our speakers. This piece is written by Kiera Brodie, Training Lead in the Technology Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment Team at Refuge.

In 2024, the United Nations reported that the most dangerous place for a woman is her home, but what do we mean by ‘the home’ today? 

As digital systems become embedded in everyday life, the risks facing survivors of domestic abuse are no longer confined to physical spaces. The modern home is increasingly networked, programmable, and remotely accessible. Features designed for convenience can be repurposed to facilitate harm, coercion, and gaslighting.

Within Refuge’s specialist Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment (TFAEE) team, we are increasingly seeing how the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), smart home technology and hidden surveillance is re-shaping both domestic abuse itself and the specialist support required to address it.  Whether it is the manipulation of smart lightbulbs, the installation of hidden cameras or the covert use of smart assistants, perpetrators are routinely using smart home technology as a mechanism for exerting power and control. 

This is not a marginal trend. Refuge saw a referral 78% increase in referrals across the TFAEE team from financial years 2024/2025 to 2025/2026, with disclosures of hidden surveillance and IoT misuse continuing to grow. 

When considering smart technology-facilitated abuse, it is important that our understanding and frontline practice does not remain static in the face of this emerging threat.

For example, we can no longer assume that because a survivor is physically by themselves, that they are safe. We must consider the wider digital environment, including the presence and configuration of smart home technology. 

It is also important to recognise that many survivors may struggle to identify technology-facilitated abuse, particularly where devices have been installed or manipulated covertly. As emphasised by Refuge’s recent “Home is Where the Hurt Is” campaign, abusers are increasingly using harder-to-detect methods to exert control and build advanced networks of surveillance. Survivors frequently describe feeling ‘paranoid’ or ‘uneasy’ in their homes, without being able to pinpoint how the perpetrator is misusing smart home technology.

This is why digital empowerment is key, alongside believing and advocating for survivors when they reach out to support services such as Refuge. 

Dismissing or minimising a survivor’s concerns can compound the isolation caused by the perpetrator, creating additional barriers to accessing support. In 2025, 56% of referrals to our team were identified as ‘high risk,’ showing just how crucial it is that we validate survivors’ experiences and recognise that digital harm has real world consequences. 

As one caseworker explained: 

“Through smart home tech or hidden surveillance, the abuse can continue remotely, meaning survivors never actually feel free or safe, even when the perpetrator isn’t physically present. This can be made worse when professionals minimise it or don’t believe it, leaving survivors feeling disbelieved, dismissed, and even more trapped.”

The home is increasingly shaped by smart technology, raising critical questions for the future of technology design and policy, and how we navigate the growing presence of technology in gender-based violence. Technological advancements have expanded the potential for misuse, including stalking, monitoring, and harassment. However, they also present opportunities for innovation and empowerment.

Addressing the risks will take all of us: technology developers, policymakers and frontline services all have a role in ensuring that safety is embedded into design, regulation, and response.

At Refuge, we’re working to equip survivors with the knowledge and tools to reclaim control, rebuild safety, and feel empowered to find joy in technology – on their own terms. Our work with survivors has shown that even complex problems can often be mitigated through practical, everyday solutions. Believing survivors when they share concerns about smart home technology is a fundamental part of that work.

As shared by one survivor supported by our team: 

“Before [the support] I felt a loss of power and this had a huge impact... this has given me control back and things to do that are actionable and it has made a huge difference to how safe I feel at home with my children. In those awful dark moments, you have provided some light.”

If you have been impacted by any of the issues discussed in this article, Refuge wants you to know that support is available. 

For anyone looking for domestic abuse support in the UK, please contact the free 24/7 National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge.

To find out more information about digital safety and how you can keep your information safe online, please access Refuge’s tech safety guides. We also have a dedicated Home Tech Tool which is designed to support survivors to identify devices in their homes which could be misused, with guidance on how to secure them safely. When contacting Refuge, we urge all survivors to make efforts to use a trusted, and secure device.

If you would like to learn more about how technology is being misused, Refuge also delivers a range of CPD accredited and bespoke training courses designed to upskill professionals on the emerging risks of technology-facilitated and economic abuse. For more information, please visit our training website or check out our upcoming events on Eventbrite.