Lagging, Not Leading in Technology-Facilitated Domestic and Family Abuse: A Call for Urgent Engagement in Information Systems Research

Technology-facilitated domestic and family abuse (TFDFA) represents a deeply troubling manifestation of the dark side of digital technologies that simultaneously empower and enable harm. Recent findings from ANROWS underscore the urgency: one in two Australian adults report victimisation through technology-facilitated abuse, and one in four admit perpetration, often within intimate relationships. These statistics demand that IS scholars confront the ethical, technical, and societal dimensions of technology’s weaponisation. While disciplines such as criminology, sociology, and public health have increasingly examined this phenomenon, the Information Systems (IS) field has remained silent. We organised a panel at ACIS 2025 where viewpoints of academia, lawyer and protective security professionals were discussed to explore how digital platforms shape multi-faceted abuse, digital agency, and risk amelioration; while exposing legal, platform and societal barriers to abuse. We argue for a more inclusive IS research agenda that addresses technology’s dual capacity to empower and to harm, foregrounds the experiences of vulnerable populations, and develops frameworks, interventions, and design principles that mitigate abuse while enhancing digital resilience. We also wish to acknowledge the victims and survivors of TFDFA and hope this panel will contribute to improving responses and ultimately preventing these harms.