Cyberstalking & Domestic Violence in a
Digital Age
Technology increasingly
affects our lives and has a significant impact on victims of crime. Emerging technologies from chat rooms
to state and national databases to internet search engines pose a challenge for
victim safety, privacy, and confidentiality, particularly those who relocate
for personal safety. Abusers can misuse tools to track their victim's every
move, to monitor everything they do on a computer, in a car, or on a
phone. This session will provide
practical information about safety risks and benefits of several phone,
imaging, mapping, Internet, and computer technologies. For the advocates in the room, we’ll
discuss how to safety plan around technologies and for the law enforcement
officers we’ll explore methods for getting the evidence, including
demonstrations of IP Address look-ups.
Recent legal cases where technology has been involved will also be
highlighted.
Presented by
Valenda Applegarth
Valenda Applegarth is a Senior Attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services with over 20 years of experience in representing victims of domestic and sexual violence. She created and staffs the nation’s first Relocation Counseling Project for victims of crime and is collaborating with NNEDV on a new technical assistance initiative for LAV grantees entitled the Relocation, Counseling, and Identity Protection project.
Erica Olsen
Erica Olsen is a Technology Safety
Specialist with Safety Net: the
National Safe & Strategic Technology Project of the National Network to End
Domestic Violence. Through
training, technical assistance, and policy advocacy, she addresses all forms of
technology impacting survivors of stalking, sexual violence, and domestic
violence. Erica has been focusing
on women and social change for over 8 years, including working to end domestic
violence at the local and state level.
Erica's prior work at the NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence,
included writing curriculum and training statewide on a project focusing on the
intersection of domestic violence and disabilities.
