Smart home gadgetry：digital tools of domestic abuse

湖北宜昌天問學校 王 晶

精彩導讀

想象一下，你在家里休息，突然你家里的恒溫器上升到好幾十度，門鈴莫名其妙響起，日光燈不受控制地一開一關，而這令人恐怖的一切都是因為你的對象在遠程操控家里的智能家居。沒錯，這就是家庭暴力的新形式。據《紐約時報》報道，不少女性正在遭受這類形式的家暴。

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The people who called into the help hotlines and domestic（家庭的）violence shelters said they felt as if they were going crazy.One woman had turned on her air conditioner but said it then switched off without her touching it.Another said the code numbers of the digital lock at her front door changed every day and she could not figure out why.Still another told an abuse help line she kept hearing the doorbell ring，but no one was there.

Their stories are part of a new pattern of behavior in domestic abuse cases tied to the rise of smart home technology.Internet-connected locks， speakers， lights and cameras marketed as the newest conveniences are now also being used as a means for harassment（騷擾），monitoring，revenge（報仇）and control.In more than 30 interviews with The New York Times，domestic abuse victims， their lawyers， shelter workers and emergency responders described how smart home technology was becoming an alarming new tool.

給幫助熱線和家庭暴力受害者收容所打電話的人表示，她們覺得自己要瘋了。一位女士說她打開了空調，但它自己關掉了，而她根本沒碰過空調。另一位女士說她家前門電子鎖的密碼每天都會變，她搞不明白為什么會這樣。還有人向家暴幫助熱線說，她總是聽到門鈴響，但門口根本沒人。

她們的故事是與智能家居技術的興起有關的家庭虐待案件中一種新的行為模式的一部分。互聯網連接的鎖、揚聲器、燈光和攝像頭作為最新的便利設備，現在也被用作騷擾、監視、報復和控制的手段。在《紐約時報》30多次采訪當中，家庭暴力受害者、她們的律師、收容所的工作人員以及急救人員都描述了智能家居技術正如何成為一種令人擔憂的家暴新工具。

那些施虐者——使用智能手機上的應用程序，這些應用和聯網設備相連接——可以遠程控制家中的日常物品，有時是為了察看和監聽，另外一些時候是為了嚇唬受虐者或者是顯示權力。在接受《紐約時報》采訪時，那些談到被智能家居設備騷擾的人都是女性，她們中的許多人來自富有階層，在那里，這類技術已經大受歡迎。

智能家居技術可能被輕易濫用的原因有好幾個。比如，像家中聯網監視攝像頭這樣的工具相對便宜——有些零售價僅為40美元——而且安裝起來很簡單。再者，通常情況下，處在一段關系中的一方會負責安裝這項技術，了解智能家居技術是如何運作的，并且擁有所有設備的密碼。這一切使掌握技術的一方擁有了利用技術針對另一方的能力。

相關法律手段可能很有限。幾名官員表示，這項技術太新了，在他們的案件中并沒有出現過，盡管他們懷疑這類情況正在出現。

“我確信這樣的事情正在發生，”加州帕洛阿爾托警察局的巡長扎克·佩隆表示，“據我對家暴活動嫌疑人心理特征的了解，這完全說得通。家庭暴力在很大程度上就是關于控制——人們覺得只有肉體上的暴力，但其實還有情感上的暴力。”

Abusers—using apps on their smartphones，which are connected to the Internet-enabled devices—would remotely control everyday objects in the home，sometimes to watch and listen，other times to scare or show power.The people who spoke to The New York Times about being disturbed through smart home gadgetry （小器具）were all women， many from wealthy classes where this type of technology has taken off.

Smart home technology can be easily made use of for misuse for several reasons.Tools like connected inhome security cameras are relatively inexpensive—some retail for$40—and are straightforward to install.Usually，one person in a relationship takes charge of putting in the technology，knows how it works and has all the passwords.This gives that person the power to turn the technology against the other person.

Legal recourse（求助） may be limited.Several law officials said the technology was too new to have shown up in their cases，although they suspected that the activity was occurring.

“I'm sure that it's happening，” said Zach Perron，captain in the police department in Palo Alto，California.“It makes complete sense knowing what I know about the psychology of domestic violence suspects.Domestic violence is largely about control—people think of physical violence but there's emotional violence， too.”

Reading check

1.Why did the people feel as if they were going crazy in paragraph 1？

2.How are the newest conveniences misused according to paragraph 2？

3.How many kinds of functions of using apps on smartphones are mentioned in paragraph 3？

4.Whousessmarthomegadgetryvery frequently today？

5.What does the underlined word “This”refer to in paragraph 4？

6.What does Zach Perron think of domestic violence？

Language study

Vocabulary

1.market v.推銷；促銷

2.go crazy發瘋；變得瘋狂

3.turn on打開

4.switch off關上；關掉

5.figure out弄懂；弄清楚

6.be tied to連接；聯合；使緊密結合

7.be connected to與……相連/有關

8.take off（觀念、產品等）突然大受歡迎；迅速流行

9.make use of利用

10.take charge of負責；掌管

11.turn...against（使）與……反目成仇；變得敵對

12.show up 出現；露面

Difficult sentences

1.在接受《紐約時報》采訪時，那些談到被智能家居設備騷擾的人都是女性，她們中的許多人來自富有階層，在那里，這類技術已經大受歡迎。

The people who spoke to The New York Times about ___________ （disturb）through smart home gadgetry were all women，many from wealthy classes__________this type of technology has taken off.

【點石成金】who引導的是一個定語從句，先行詞為the people。句中的about是一個介詞，其后的動詞應用動名詞的形式，且disturb與其邏輯主語the people是動賓關系，故首空應用動名詞的被動語態形式。第2空前的classes，應理解為一個抽象化和模糊化的地點。

2.據我對家暴活動嫌疑人心理特征的了解，這完全說得通。

________complete________knowing what I know about the psychology of domestic violence suspects.

【點石成金】句中knowing what I know about the psychology of domestic violence suspects是句子的主語，因為主語過長，需要用形式主語代替；make sense“講得通；有道理”。