Pip Rae thought her new smart watch was a thoughtful present from her partner. In reality, it was a way to track her every move. In the wrong hands, technology can be used to instil fear. But in the right hands, it’s a shield to defend, a safeguard for systems and a tool to hold perpetrators accountable. 

In the final episode of There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing, Sally Spicer is joined by survivor strategist Pip Rae and CommBank’s Group Customer Advocate, Angela MacMillan.

Together they explore: 

• The smartwatch trap: Pip’s personal experience with tech-facilitated abuse and how she transformed her story into a strategy for change.
• Technology as a shield: How CommBank is using human-centred AI and data to detect abusive transaction descriptions and combat digital harassment in its tracks.
• Safety by Design: The urgent shift toward building safety and protection into the everyday apps and devices we use.

More on There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing:

• Learn more about There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing
• Keep up with FW on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and join FW to unlock professional development, training and community
• Learn more about CommBank Next Chapter
• If you or someone you know is affected by domestic, family and sexual violence, contact the national service 1800RESPECT for free and confidential counselling, information and service referral. Call 1800 737 732, chat online 24/7 at www.1800respect.org.au or use the text line on 0458 737 732
• If you or someone you know is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in need of a culturally safe support line, you can call 13YARN (13 92 76)
• In an emergency, or if you are not feeling safe, always call the police on 000

There’s No Place Like Home: Paths to Healing is an FW podcast made in partnership with Commonwealth Bank, who through CommBank Next Chapter, are supporting people within Australia experiencing financial abuse, even if you don't bank with them.