Dr Leonie Maria Tanczer
Associate Professor, University College London (UCL)
Biography
Dr Leonie Maria Tanczer is an Associate Professor in International Security and Emerging Technologies at University College London’s (UCL) Department of Computer Science (CS) and grant holder of the prestigious UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF).
She is part of UCL’s Information Security Research Group (ISec) and initiated and heads the “Gender and Tech” research efforts at UCL. Tanczer is also member of the Advisory Council of the Open Rights Group (ORG), a Steering Committee member for the Offensive Cyber Working Group, and a voting member of the IEEE Working Group P2987 “Recommended Practice for Principles for Design and Operation Addressing Technology-Facilitated Inter-personal Control”.
She was formerly an Association of British Science Writers (ABSW) Media Fellow at The Economist and a Fellow at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) in Berlin. Her research focuses on questions related to Internet security and she is specifically interested in the intersection points of technology, security and gender.
Presentation
IoT Tech Abuse – Protecting At-Risk Communities
The proliferation of smart, Internet-connected devices in homes has introduced new avenues for intimate partner violence.
Drawing on research conducted at UCL’s Gender and Tech Lab, this presentation will explore the growing problem of technology-facilitated domestic violence and stalking, focusing on the ways perpetrators exploit Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to monitor, control, and terrorise victims and survivors. The talk will examine the unique challenges affected parties face when trying to document abuse, seek help, and regain control of their digitally-enabled environment. The session will also highlight emerging approaches to combat this form of abuse, including technological safeguards, legislative reforms, and victim/survivor support. The goal is to raise awareness of this critical issue and equip the tech sector with the knowledge to address the intimate partner violence threat model proactively and to effectively respond to instances where their systems are being misused in domestic abuse and stalking cases.