InfoSec Seminar: Gender and IoT: Discussing security principles for victims of Internet of Things (IoT)-supported tech abuse

An increasing number of household devices are now "smart" in that they contain sensors, record activity, and share and store data - from teddy bears, door locks to smart TVs. However, little research exists on the gender-based implications such devices have in the context of the domestic household and, specifically, intimate controlling behaviour like gender-based violence and abuse. This presentation will outline findings from the "Gender and IoT" (G-IoT) research project which addresses the research question: How will IoT impact on gender-based domestic violence and abuse and what socio-technical measures will need to be implemented in order to mitigate against those risks? G-IoT is a 2017-18 Social Science Plus Pilot Project thatruns in collaboration with UCL's Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP) and UCL's Department of Computer Science. In the course of the presentation, Leonie would like to stress-test resources developed for support services and for frontline domestic abuse workers and hopes to receive feedback and input on how to potentially improve them. More information about G-IoT can be found here. 

Bio:

Leonie Maria Tanczer is Postdoctoral Research Associate at University College London's (UCL) Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP). She is former Fellow at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) in Berlin and studied Political Science (B.A.) at the University of Vienna and University of Limerick (Republic of Ireland) and Political Psychology (MSc.) at Queen's University Belfast. At UCL, Tanczer is part of the PETRAS Internet of Things (IoT) Research Hub, working on issues such as the regulation and standardisation of IoT devices. She is also Principal Investigator for a research project which examines the implications of the IoT on victims of gender-based domestic violence and abuse. More information about Tanczer's work can be found on her homepage.