Wildlife Monitoring Technologies Used to Intimidate and Spy on Women, Study Finds
A recent study has uncovered a disturbing trend of using wildlife monitoring technologies, such as camera traps, sound recorders, and drones, to intimidate and spy on women in northern India. Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that these devices are being deliberately misused by local governments and male villagers to keep watch on women without their consent.
The study, conducted over 14 months, interviewed 270 locals living around the Corbett Tiger Reserve, including many women from nearby villages. Researchers found that forest rangers deliberately fly drones over local women to frighten them out of the forest and prevent them from collecting natural resources, despite it being their legal right to do so.
The women interviewed said they feel watched and inhibited by camera traps, and as a result, they behave differently, often being much quieter, which puts them in danger. The study also found that these devices are being used to record and share images of women without their knowledge, often with the intention of humiliation and intimidation.
"This is a worst-case scenario of deliberate human monitoring and intimidation," said Dr. Trishant Simlai, lead author of the report. "But we also know that many people are being unintentionally recorded by wildlife monitoring devices without their knowledge in many other places, including national parks in the U.K."
The researchers call for conservationists to think carefully about the social implications of using remote monitoring technologies and whether less invasive methods like surveys could provide the information they need instead.