Gender-based violence enabled by location technologies

The use of location technology in stalking, domestic violence, and trafficking has become common, as locational data is used in surveillance, harassment, and coercive control. Location technology is now widespread in our lives and integrated into everyday devices and systems. The increasing ubiquity of location technology combined with the prevalence of gender-based violence throughout the world creates an increasingly urgent situation for survivors and those who work with them. This technical communication highlights the implications of location technology and locational information vis a vis gender-based violence. It is a call for scholars and professionals to work together with frontline responders and support professionals to promote better understanding of the role of location technology in abuse, to help survivors safely navigate harmful uses of location technology, and to mitigate or prevent those harms by taking abuse into account when designing location technology.