Stalking and Technology-Facilitated Abuse Log
A Note on Language
In this toolkit, we will sometimes use the word woman/women and feminine pronouns for simplicity and to recognize the significant impact technology-facilitated violence has on women and girls. We recognize that TFGBV also impacts trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit people. We hope that all people impacted by TFGBV will find these documents useful.
What is a stalking and technology-facilitated abuse log?
Stalking and technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is when an abuser usestechnology as a tool to monitor and harm someone. This can include things like tracking location, sending harassing texts, and threatening to share abusive images. Some of the commontechnologies that are used as tools of abuse are devices and accounts.
This handout has a log to write down important details about the abuse. Two logs are provided, in a long and short form, so you choose the one that works best for their situation.
Why keep a stalking and tech-facilitated abuse log?
- To capture evidence at the time the abuse occurs, making it more reliable in court
- To support the evidence captured
- To help see patterns and escalations of abuse for safety planning purposes
- To provide evidence for police and assist with their investigations
- To give support workers insight into the risks a survivor faces so that they can assist further
- To support you to take back control and be proactive
- To validate experiences. This can help if an abuser minimizes, denies, or gaslights the person they are abusing. Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse where an abuser pretends the abuse did not occur and may blame a victim for “going crazy.”
- To remind you about an abusive person’s behaviour. Sometimes memories of abuse can beblurred over time. A log might assist with making statements for court or by helping a survivor decide what to do if an abuser is trying to re-establish a relationship.
Staying safe while logging abuse
Think about where you can store the logs safely so that an abuser will not find them. This may be in a locked desk at work, with your support worker, or with a trusted friend. Trust yourself. You know your situation best.
If you decide to provide your logs to police or other services, they may ask for more details aboutthe person who is abusing you. These items may include information about the abuser’s technology, such as their:
- Internet and phone provider and account information;
- Devices, such as phones, computers, tablets, cameras, drones, external hard drives,USBs, children’s devices, etc.;
- Accounts or apps that have been used in the abuse such as social media or banking accounts;
- Email addresses, phone numbers, cloud storage accounts, usernames, avatars, pseudonyms, online identities, etc.; and
- any other information that relates to their technology, such as passwords, online associates, tracking devices, ISP addresses, identity theft or fraud, etc.
Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) is part of a continuum of violence that can be both online and in-person. If you or someone you know is experiencing TFGBV, you are not alone. You can use sheltersafe.ca to find a shelter/transition house near you to discuss options and create a safety plan. You don’t need to stay in a shelter to access free, confidential services and support.
Adapted for Canada with permission from WESNET’s Technology Safety project, based on their resource Stalking and Tech-Facilitated Abuse Log.