WOMEN whose partners used smart apps against them have publicly detailed the cruelty of their abusive controllers for the first time.
The Donegal News last week reported that controlling men use technology like home security cameras and doorbells, baby monitors, smart speakers, hidden cameras, and tracking devices as part of their obsessive surveillance.
Victims of such controlling behaviour have now revealed shocking examples of how men tried to control every aspect of their lives.
This includes remotely controlling the temperature of a home, blocking women out of their own bank account, and covert monitoring though a doorbell.
Husbands’ and boyfriends’ use of hi-tech gadgets was disclosed by Donegal women’s support group The Uplift Project.
Women revealed that abusive partners used phone apps to control their life.
Its clinical director Jessica Gallagher said this week: “Since the story was published in the Donegal News, we have received new calls from women who saw it and shared that they’ve experienced issues related to the article and that they’d never felt able to discuss it until now.”
She added: “For many women affected by domestic abuse and coercive control, technology can become another way of being watched.”
One of the women said: “For me, it was the online banking apps. He kept locking me out and would change passwords.
“It made it so hard for me. He cancelled my bank card and said it was lost. But I couldn’t take him off the account without his permission.
“So he just keep doing this for months. It was one more way of controlling me even after I left him.”
Another victim said: “My ex wanted to get all these home tech apps into the house. He was always so particular about the heating.
“It could never be above 16C, no matter how cold it was.
“When I finally got the barring order and he was gone, I noticed that the temperature kept dropping, even when I put it higher.
“It always went down to 16C. I thought it was set automatically, but then one day a friend came over and commented how cold it was.
“I told her that I couldn’t figure out how to reset it. She went into the app and saw that he was changing the temperature directly the whole time.
“I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it was so upsetting and I felt so violated all over again.”
A woman who was spied on said: “I thought I was being paranoid because it felt like he was always watching me.
“But I wasn’t. I found out he was able to get into the doorbell camera and he was watching every time we were coming and going.”
Smart technology has been used for surveillance.
Air Tag tracking is used by some to find lost luggage.
Another revealed: “I am not great with technology so I had no idea the reach that he could have on me with it.
“He put an AirTag in the boot of my car without me knowing. It was in where the spare tyre goes. It was there for months or years, I have no idea how long.
“One day I had to go bring the car to the garage and they found it. They told me it must have fallen out and thought I had lost it.
“I didn’t even know what it was. Then I realised how he was able to just show up and stare at me whenever he wanted. He always had my location. It’s terrifying.”
The Uplift’s clinical director Jessica said: “Across Donegal, we are increasingly hearing from women whose experiences of domestic abuse extend far beyond physical violence.
“Technology is being used as another tool of coercive control, allowing perpetrators to monitor, intimidate, and isolate women long after a relationship has ended.
“Women revealed how their phones, online accounts, and banking apps are being accessed or manipulated without their knowledge.
“Abusive partners control their finances through digital banking, tracking their movements through location-sharing features, monitoring messages and social media, or using smart devices within the home to create fear and uncertainty.
“It is not simply about hacking devices or accounts; it is about using technology to maintain power and control.
“When technology is used to invade that privacy, monitor behaviour, or maintain coercive control, it becomes another form of abuse.”
Charles Ward, 100% Redress Party TD.
Meanwhile, calls for more finance amid warnings that underfunding has created a gap in services for vulnerable women in Donegal are to be heard in the Dail.
A spokesperson for Donegal TD Charles Ward said: “Deputy Ward will be speaking on this issue in the Dáil this week.
“If Government is serious about tackling domestic and gender-based violence, it must match its commitments with meaningful investment.
“Every victim deserves to know that when they reach out for help, that help will be there. It is now up to Government to ensure that the organisations protecting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities have the resources they need to continue their vital work.”
His 100% Redress Party colleague, Inishowen Cllr Joy Beard, added: “Demand for domestic abuse services is increasing, cases are becoming more complex, and sustainable funding is urgently needed.
“Donegal faces additional challenges because of its rural nature. Funding for services in our region must reflect the level of need.”