Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials,
Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
The View From India
Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.
First Day First Show
News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.
Today's Cache
Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.
Science For All
The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in!
Data Point
Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers
THEdge
At the cutting edge of education and careers
Health Matters
Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there
Gender Agenda
Stories from beyond the binary.
The Hindu On Books
Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.
The same data and gadgets shared amongst loved ones can just as easily be misused to carry out abuse [File]
| Photo Credit: REUTERS
Your romantic partner or a close family member asks you to share your smartphone PIN or email password with them. Would you do it?
For many Indians, exchanging personal information and security credentials is nothing out of the ordinary. For example, adults routinely manage their elderly parents’ finances online. Parents often use trackers or adult-managed apps to supervise their children’s phone use and ensure their safety. Couples might be operating a common social media channel from separate devices. Family members living together are likely to share phones, computers/laptops, cars, streaming app passwords, mobile/internet service plans, and access to smart devices.
However, the same data and gadgets shared amongst loved ones can just as easily be misused to carry out abuse.
For example, an adult controlling their elderly parents’ finances can steal their savings or damage their credit score. Or: a parent can track even their adult children via their devices in order to stalk them or isolate them from friends. Or: a romantic partner can misuse a shared social media app to control their partners’ posts or even share content that hurts the other person. Or: an abusive family member can cut off access to smart home devices (lights, refrigerators, heaters, etc.) and WiFi in order to exert control over their partner and children.