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Women are arming themselves with technology to protect themselves against violence. Does it work?

Women are arming themselves with technology to protect themselves against violence. Does it work?



CNN

Man accused of murder Laken Riley, a 22-year-old college student, was convicted this week of murder while jogging on the University of Georgia campus in February. sentenced to life imprisonment.

Laken’s sister, Lauren Phillips, a current University of Georgia student, walks in fear on the grounds of her dream school.

“I can’t walk around my own college campus because I’m afraid of people like Jose Ibarra,” she said through tears as she watched her sister’s killer in court this week.

Riley went for a run in broad daylight. He texted his mother to let her know what he had done. He used his cell phone to share his location with trusted friends. When he was attacked, he used his phone’s SOS feature to call for help.

Many women who use these tools to keep themselves safe say Riley did everything right. There is a growing range of products aimed at improving security and maintaining peace of mind.

Riley's sister, Lauren Phillips, told the court this week about the impact her sister's murder had on her sense of safety.

Apps like Find My Friends or the runner’s app Strava allow people to share their locations with friends. Some ridesharing apps give users the option to share their route with a third party. Personal security alarms that can fit into a pocket or keychain are introduced with stylish designs and eye-catching colors. Shoe insoles and backpacks are sold with GPS tracking devices installed. Phones, watches and other devices can make emergency calls with the press of a button.

But as tragic cases like Riley’s continue to emerge, many people are taking a closer look at the role technology can play in keeping people safe, as well as the vulnerabilities it can create.

In addition to the security technology that people deliberately adopt, almost every person with a smartphone leaves a digital trail that is incredibly valuable in holding bad actors accountable.

Investigators were able to use location data from both Riley and The gunman’s phones tracked Riley’s movements the day she died. According to court testimony, data shows the two were close to each other at the time of his murder. Data from Riley’s smartwatch revealed the moment his heart stopped.

“In today’s world, juries have an expectation that there will be some form of digital evidence,” said Jane Anderson, senior counsel for AEquitas, a nonprofit organization that workshops prosecution practices related to gender-based violence and human trafficking.

This digital evidence can be especially important in cases of domestic violence or sexual assault where there are rarely eyewitnesses.

Laken Riley.

For example, prosecutors could use cell phone or location data to verify details of a victim’s account and increase their credibility in the eyes of a jury, Anderson said.

“You should believe this victim because he told you this and I confirmed it. “And then she told you that he had sexually assaulted her – and even though I don’t have security camera footage of the sexual assault, you can believe that part of the statement, too, because the rest of the statement was so believable.”

In the absence of eyewitnesses, video, cellphone and location data were a central part of the murder case against Alex Murdaugh in 2023. sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and his son, Paul Murdaugh.

In the case against Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, investigators were able to use location data to identify: cell phone was near the scene where students were killed.

And this year Richard Allen was found guilty Killing two teenagers in Delphi, IndianaIn 2017, after investigators reviewed evidence linking him to the crime, including a video on one of the victim’s phones that appeared to capture his attacker.

“In many cases, this type of technology unfortunately allows for investigation. “It tells you where someone is, where they were last known, and perhaps ongoing location data if the criminal picks up the phone and continues to use it,” Anderson said. “It’s an investigative tool.” But it alone won’t keep you safe.”

“The flip side of the coin for almost any digital device is how it can be misused,” he warned.

Advocates for victims and survivors of gender-based violence say technology can be a powerful safety tool. But people need to be aware of how this can leave them vulnerable to harm and how these gaps can be closed.

National Network to End Domestic Violence created Safety Net Project Educating survivors and advocates about technology safety and privacy.

“As the world becomes increasingly tech-savvy, there are products and devices that can be truly beneficial to our safety and comfort,” said Stephanie Love-Patterson, the group’s chief executive. “We have to be cognizant of the fact that unfortunately there are individuals out there who are trying to use these things to cause harm.”

Jose Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Laken Riley.

Often, he noted, a person intent on harm knows their victim and has access to their technological devices. If this person is tech-savvy, they can hack into or monitor these devices to obtain information about their victims’ location or communications.

“Technology leaves a footprint, and one of the things we talk about a lot in our Safety Net Project is how to erase or reduce that footprint — and that involves a lot of things,” Love-Patterson said.

This is where technology education comes into play. The Safety Net project encourages people to research and plan when it comes to their own safety, including sharing location information only with trusted people, changing passwords frequently, and documenting threats or suspicious events.

Staying vigilant and reporting suspicious behavior can go a long way in helping people around you, even people you don’t know, Love-Patterson said.

On the day Riley was killed, a UGA graduate student reported that a person was trying to open the front door of her apartment by peering in. Surveillance video confirmed the student’s account, and cell phone location data linked Riley’s killer to the case.

Earlier this week, this student sat in a courtroom in Georgia and testified at the hearing that ultimately resulted in a life sentence.