Digital technologies and online platforms have transformed how people communicate, share information and participate in society. However, they can also facilitate a range of abusive behaviours, including harassment, stalking, image-based abuse, coercive control, fraud and exploitation. As technologies evolve, concerns have grown about the ways in which digital platforms and connected devices can be used to enable abuse and whether existing safeguards are keeping pace.
The Science and Technology Committee is launching an inquiry into technology-facilitated abuse. The inquiry will examine the nature, scale and impact of technology-enabled abuse, and assess how technology companies and government are responding to and mitigating these risks.
The inquiry will explore the role of digital platforms in enabling, detecting and preventing abuse, the effectiveness of regulatory and technical interventions, and the evidence needed to better understand emerging forms of digital abuse. It will also consider the challenges posed by new technologies and devices, while maintaining a particular focus on the systemic role of online platforms.