A BOLT Safety Society resource
CW: Discussion of sexual violence, hate speech
Writer: Dominic
Introduction
The inception of the internet has created many opportunities for easy and accessible communication with anyone, anywhere, at almost anytime. Unfortunately, this has also created more opportunities for harassment, hate speech, and more incitement for violence, especially against women.
Harassment against Women
In a survey conducted in 2018, almost 1 in 5 women reported to have experienced some form of harassment online (Statistics Canada, 2019). This harassment can include of sharing graphic images or videos without the woman’s consent, posting sexually suggestive comments, sending rape and death threats, or stalking their social media accounts. Although these acts occur in an online space, they can have profound impacts on a woman’s health and safety, as well as undermine efforts made to protect women’s rights and progress gender equality (Council of Europe, 2022).
Women and young girls who have experienced online harassment are more likely to face greater psychological harm. They may become more depressed, anxious, and paranoid, which can lead to greater instances of self-harm. More pervasive harassment may encourage victims to isolate themselves from interacting on social media entirely. This can significantly hamper the progression of women’s rights as they no longer feel safe and comfortable speaking on issues that affect them in fear of being targeted for harassment. As such, online harassment actively infringes on an individual’s right to freedom of speech and self-expression (Amnesty international, 2024).
This is especially a problem for journalists and activists who are at a greater risk of being targeted by malicious actors. Just speaking out about certain issues related to gender equality can trigger a very violent response meant to silence women’s voices and prevent discourse on the issues. For example, in Serbia, a Facebook page was started that roughly translates to “I did not ask for it,” in which women could anonymously share their experiences of sexual abuse in a safe space. The goal was not only to create a safe and welcoming environment, but also to express solidarity for victims of sexual abuse. Unfortunately, once the existence of this group became known, it resulted in widespread criticism, sexist and offensive jokes, and numerous threats of sexual assault and physical aggression targeted towards its members. Such attacks forced many members to self-censor and limit their interactions online in fear of these threats escalating into real-world violence. Instances such as this proves that harassment actively undermines solidarity efforts and limits the opportunities to spread awareness of very important issues (Council of Europe, 2022).
Politicians and Public Figures are especially at risk
As mentioned, female journalists are a common target for harassment and threats of violence due to their roles as public watchdogs. Journalists constantly have to deal with threats of physical violence and sexual assault, as well as smear campaigns meant to sexualize and discredit them. Female politicians in particular are also made into targets for forms of online violence due to their public positions on certain issues and policies (Council of Europe, 2022).
Constant threats of physical and sexual harm, smear campaigns, spread of disinformation and other forms of online violence have real-world consequences for many women in politics. Reports suggest that online harassment makes politicians less likely to run for re-election and a higher position in office. Additionally, some politicians say they are less likely to speak on controversial topics such as abortion and gun laws due to the volume of hateful comments they expect to receive from taking a stance on these issues. Some have even stated that they have increased their security in fear of these threats becoming real. Not only does this threaten the health and safety of women as a whole, but it is also a threat to democracy and free speech. If politicians are not comfortable speaking on the issues that they believe in and wish to change, then positive and progressive change is less likely to occur (CBC, 2024).
Accountability of social media companies
Social media companies are largely responsible for ensuring that hateful and harassing comments are not allowed to easily spread on their platforms. Unfortunately, it would seem that this is not within their best interests. Social media apps such as Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) contain community guidelines that state what is and is not allowed to be posted to their sites. According to these guidelines, content that contains “credible threats or hate speech" and "content that targets private individuals to degrade or shame them" are not allowed and will be removed if discovered. Despite this, reports suggest that Instagram in particular ignored 926 out of 1,000 flagged comments targeting female American politicians.
It might be within the companies’ best interests to allow hateful comments to remain public, as this can start arguments which in turn increases engagement. More engagement means more money from advertising and as such, these companies have no incentives to clean up their platforms. Instagram’s guidelines also hint that its policies may not be as strict when it comes to politicians and public figures, who are most at risk for online harassment, as evidenced by "We do generally allow stronger conversation around people who are featured in the news or have a large public audience due to their profession or chosen activities" (CBC, 2024). Additionally, fighting harassment and actively removing harmful content requires time, money, and resources that they would rather spend elsewhere.
Instagram’s parent company, Meta, has a long history of ignoring clear violations to their community guidelines, denying that there is a problem and deflecting blame to avoid accountability. More recently, since Elon Musk acquired X in 2022, there has been an increase in the volume of hate speech and disinformation, most of which was targeted towards women and public figures. Researchers from the Center for Countering Digital Hate reported 300 posts that contained hate speech and other violations to the platform’s community guidelines, one week later 86% of the reported posts remained active. These findings, among others that also highlight the issue, were then published in a report (CCDH, 2023). In response, Elon Musk, has since attempted to sue the CCDH for their publication, rather than using its resources to rectify the problem (Reuters, 2024).
How to protect yourself online
Despite the prevalence of harassment on social media, there are ways to protect yourself in the event of unwanted behaviour. A good practice is to delete any accounts that are no longer in use. This makes it harder to discover any personal or sensitive information that may have been posted in the past. Additionally, avoid sharing any personal details, such as email addresses or phone numbers. Most social media platforms have options to make your account private, which means it is only visible to those who you wish to view it. If you are in a position in which you are unable to make your account private or if you have already encountered unwanted behaviour, there are still actions that can be taken.
A requirement of social media applications is to have a block option, or the ability to prevent interactions with specific users (Apple Developer, 2024). This might be the most effective tool for limiting exposure to harmful content, or for preventing subsequent exposure, while using these platforms. Documenting instances of harmful behaviour, such as taking screenshots of comments and other interactions, will help make the process of reporting harmful accounts more effective as well (UCLA, 2024).
Hate speech, harassment, and disinformation campaigns disproportionately target women, especially women in the public spotlight. Not only is this dangerous to the health and safety of the victims, but it also actively inhibits opportunities for progressive change and threatens democracy. We'd like to argue that a safe online space for all will help shift policies and public opinions towards helping people rather than harming them, which would in turn drive greater user engagement. We're calling on social media companies to help #EndHarassment.
Resources
Disclaimer: Please note that our team is not claiming expertise in the topics discussed on our platforms, and we endeavor to verify any published information with reliable sources and community experts and organizations. Any content on our platforms should not replace advice given to you by professionals, and you are using our information, resources, and programs at your own risk. Please contact us if you see an error so that we can investigate the matter and make corrections where necessary.
References
Gorrell, Genevieve, et al. “Which politicians receive abuse? Four factors illuminated in the UK general election 2019.” EPJ Data Science, vol. 9, no. 1, 2 July 2020, https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-020-00236-9.
Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. “Gender-Based Violence and Unwanted Sexual Behaviour in Canada, 2018: Initial Findings from the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces.” The Daily - , 5 Dec. 2019, www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/191205/dq191205b-eng.htm.
Ligman, Kaitlyn M., et al. “An unsafe space: Sexualization, dehumanization, and the harassment of women on social media.” Psychology of Popular Media, 21 Mar. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000528.
Maimann, Kevin. “Instagram Ignored 93% of Abusive Comments toward Female Politicians: Report | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 19 Aug. 2024, www.cbc.ca/news/women-politicians-online-abuse-1.7298168.
Musk’s X Corp Loses Lawsuit against Hate Speech Watchdog | Reuters, www.reuters.com/technology/musks-x-corp-loses-lawsuit-against-hate-speech-watchdog-2024-03-25/. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
“New Report: X Content Moderation Failure.” Center for Countering Digital Hate | CCDH, CCDH, 13 Sept. 2023, counterhate.com/research/twitter-x-continues-to-host-posts-reported-for-extreme-hate-speech/.
“No Space for Violence against Women and Girls in the Digital World - Commissioner for Human Rights - Www.Coe.Int.” Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe, 15 Mar. 2023, www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/no-space-for-violence-against-women-and-girls-in-the-digital-world.
“Protect against Online Harassment.” Office of the Chief Information Security Officer, 21 May 2024, ociso.ucla.edu/online-harassment.
“What Is Online Violence?” Amnesty International, 6 Aug. 2024, www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/technology/online-violence/.
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