#TechAndRelationships

A recent personal account published by Slate has revived concerns about digital surveillance within intimate relationships. The story describes a woman who discovered her ex-partner had secretly placed a tracker in her bag, confirmed by her family’s early suspicions about controlling behavior. Experts caution that this is part of a broader, worrying trend affecting families and individuals worldwide, including in Thailand.

As smartphones and affordable tracking devices become commonplace, the line between affection and intrusion can blur. The Slate piece highlights a pattern where controlling partners monitor partners through digital tools. International research supports this concern, showing a rise in stalking and emotional abuse enabled by consumer technology. In Thailand, researchers and advocates are paying close attention to how technology-facilitated abuse is evolving alongside smartphone adoption.

A recent personal story published by Slate has reignited concerns about the increasing prevalence of digital surveillance within intimate relationships, raising red flags for families, mental health experts, and law enforcement in Thailand and globally. The piece describes a chilling incident in which a woman discovered her ex-partner had secretly placed a tracker in her bag, validating her family’s initial suspicions about controlling, unsafe behavior—a scenario that researchers caution is part of a much broader and worrisome trend.