U.K., Oct. 7 -- UK Parliament issued the following news:
The Science and Technology Committee today launches an inquiry examining how digital technologies can be used to facilitate harms such as stalking, harassment, coercive control and non-consensual intimate image abuse.
Inquiry: Technology-facilitated abuse
Domestic abuse is, as we know, far too prevalent in the real world but it is also expanding into digital spaces and creating new ways that abuse can occur, with smart devices like Ring doorbells, speakers and fitness trackers being used to track and abuse victims.
The issue sits within the wider context of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls and continues to grow. For example, referrals to the domestic abuse charity Refuge’s specialist Technology Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment team rose by more than 62% in 2025 alone.
The government has taken steps to tackle some forms of technology-facilitated abuse through its violence against women and girls' strategy and the Online Safety Act 2023. However, recent cases have raised questions about whether existing legal and regulatory frameworks remain fit for purpose.
This inquiry will explore the scale and impact of technology-facilitated harm and assess how technology companies and the government are responding to this. It may also look at the gender divide in technological spaces, and whether this is exacerbating or limiting abuse. The committee will focus primarily on digital abuse and online platforms.
Read the terms of reference here. The deadline for submitting evidence is 4 November.
Dame Chi Onwurah, Chair of the Science and Technology Committee, said:
“Technology can empower and protect its users, but it also has the potential to create new ways for people – particularly women and girls – to be abused.
“Our inquiry, my committee will examine how digital technologies are being used to facilitate harm, whether current legislation is keeping pace and the responsibilities technology companies and online platforms have to prevent it. I encourage anyone with expertise in this area to submit evidence to our inquiry and inform our work.”
Further information
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