Can signs of digital coercive control be evidenced in mobile operating system settings? - A guide for first responders

Abstract

Perpetrators of domestic abuse are now frequently utilising technology to survey and regulate the conduct of their victims. Of all digital devices, mobile phones are considered one of the most common to be misused by perpetrators, with reports of their use to track victims via spyware or a device's location services, and to send abusive communications often seen. As a result, any support services and first responders involved in such investigations must ensure they are in a position to identify and understand any signs of technology-facilitated abuse on a mobile device if an investigative opportunity presents itself. In regards to a victim's phone, attention is often placed upon identifying the presence of unwanted applications or being in receipt of communications showing abuse. However, evidence of abuse can be more subtle, where this work seeks to identify and describe a series of proprietary settings that exist on the mobile operating systems iOS and Android that can be used to exert control, provide oversight of, or, manipulate the way in which a device itself is operated by its user. The intention here is to offer support to those involved in responding to or investigating incidents of abuse to identify and understand the impact of these potentially relevant digital traces.