Phone safety: Seven ways to protect your smartphone from an abusive partner

• An expert has warned how smartphones can be used by abusers to control their partners
• Alessia Bianco, who works for a UK crisis support charity, says increasingly sophisticated technology can be misused by perpetrators
• She’s shared seven tips to protect smartphones - and to use them to escape abuse

An expert in tackling domestic abuse in the UK has warned how smartphones can be used by abusers to control their partners – but also as a means for victims to escape them.

Alessia Bianco heads up the Everyone’s Business team at the crisis support charity Hestia. She and her team work with employers to support victims of domestic abuse.

One in three women and one in seven men in England and Wales will experience domestic abuse at some point in their life, according to ONS figures. Two women are killed by a current or ex-partner every week.

Hestia – in partnership with Vodafone Foundation – released the Bright Sky app and website in 2018 to provide victims and concerned bystanders with practical support and information.

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Now, Vodafone and Hestia have teamed up to share tips for how Brits can better secure their devices from the eyes of an abusive partner.

It comes as new research from Vodafone reveals three quarters (75%) of women have considered using their smartphone to escape an unsafe situation.

Alessia has worked to support victims of domestic abuse for 15 years – including a decade on the frontline, working in refuges and fielding calls from victims.

She believes that new and increasingly sophisticated technology in our lives can be used by both the perpetrators but crucially also the victims of domestic abuse.

Alessia said: “Domestic abuse is about power and control and what we often see at the start of a relationship is ‘love bombing’ – the perpetrator giving someone lots of affirmations. It is often during this time when it’s exciting and people are smitten that they miss the red flags.

“They might start to control what the victim eats, and who they see. We often see victims and survivors who are moved miles away from their support network.

“Then it might be ‘who is that texting you?’ or the victim may start to see their battery running out quicker than normal. But it’s all very subtle.

“We speak to women saying they find tracker tags in their cars and in their bags. Perpetrators are using them and programmes like ‘find my phone’.”

To help support people in securing their devices from potential misuse, Vodafone and Hestia have released the following expert tips.

Seven ways to protect your device from an abusive partner

1. Look for signs of unusual activity: Drained battery life, increased data usage or slow performance could indicate that someone has access to or has tampered with your device.
2. If there are signs of unusual activity, consider if someone could have installed spyware or a tracking device software: Consider whether the perpetrator has ‘helped’ set up any accounts or apps on the phone – if you believe accessing information could put you in any form of danger, delete the app and access help in another way.
3. Uncouple iCloud and online accounts from multiple devices: Review connected devices in iCloud or Google accounts and remove any linked devices that you don’t recognise or trust.
4. Remove browser history: Clear browsing history, cookies and cached data regularly – and use private or incognito mode when appropriate.
5. Enable two-factor authentication: Including email, banking and social media to prevent unauthorised access.
6. Be mindful of phone records: Consider phone records and whether the perpetrator has access to these as, if so, it will provide them with updated addresses and contact details. Calls will also show up on the call log and on bills.
7. Access Bright Sky in a safe space: Consider downloading the Bright Sky app on a friend or family member’s phone or accessing it on your own device in a safe space like a bank or pharmacy.

The Bright Sky app and website provides information and support for anyone who may be in an abusive relationship or concerned that someone they know might be. The freephone, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247.