@lonnnie.bsky.social
Reposted
a geofencing kill switch had been set up in the car, setting up a virtual perimeter to stop her car from going more than a few kilometres from home. The mechanic was a friend of her ex-partner and had installed the switch to monitor, control, and intimidate her.
www.smh.com.au/national/lik...
www.smh.com.au/national/lik...
![Sarah* couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her new car. Every time she drove further than her kids’ school, it stalled. She took it to the mechanic, who told her he couldn’t find an issue.
It was only when she spoke with a domestic violence frontline worker that she discovered a geofencing kill switch had been set up in the car, setting up a virtual perimeter to stop her car from going more than a few kilometres from home. The mechanic was a friend of her ex-partner and had installed the switch to monitor, control, and intimidate her.
Over 90 per cent of new cars sold in 2031 will have embedded mobile connectivity.
Over 90 per cent of new cars sold in 2031 will have embedded mobile connectivity.Credit:Aresna Villanueva
Sarah’s story is one of thousands reported to the e-Safety Commission’s Technology-Facilitated Abuse Support Service, with smart car technology the latest way abusers are co-opting technology to monitor, control, and abuse victims.
Over 20,000 frontline workers have accessed the service in the year since it was developed, which provides advice and strategies on increasingly complex cases.
Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin: “Wherever a device can be controlled remotely … it can be weaponised”.
Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin: “Wherever a device can be controlled remotely … it can be weaponised”.Credit:Ben Appleton
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant warned connected cars were becoming sophisticated surveillance devices, with abusers remotely tracking partners via the cars’ GPS, changing the heating or cooling to intimidate them, or preventing them from travelling past certain destinations.
“[Abusers] can even lock their former partner out of her car when she’s out at night and see where she’s gone,” Grant said.
“In these situations, an asset that’s crucial for escape is being used as a mechanism to trap and control.”
Over 90 per cent of new cars sold in Australia are estima…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:xl2ilqdmuzjulfg64uct3kgz/bafkreia4gv7zwatwyfomnlgtbtb2apgjgq4ygfzs6b2yjc75sxfezrpmf4@jpeg)
November 30, 2025 at 9:45 PM