The U.S. presidential election and the campaign has again highlighted the issue of technology and online spaces posing a threat to the safety and the dignity of women.

Background

• Case of Kamala Harris: After her presidential endorsement, Harris faced Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated deep fakes and disinformation content targeting her character and questioning her abilities as a leader.
• Global Cases: Women in power or aspiring for high office face pervasive online harassment, as seen globally. Example:
  • U.S. politician Nikki Haley was targeted with manipulated, explicit images during the Republican primaries. 
  • Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appeared in a deep fake video, and 
  • In Bangladesh, deepfake images of politicians Rumin Farhana and Nipun Roy circulated just before the January 2024 election. 

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About Online Gender Based Violence (OGBV)

• Definition: It is targeted harassment and prejudice through technology against people, disproportionately women, based on their gender. 
• Nature of Online Abuse different for Men and Women: While men may encounter misinformation and disinformation regarding their actions or duties, women face objectification, sexually explicit content and body shaming. 
  • Studies across the world show that 16 to 58 percent of women and girls have been targeted by violence online.
• National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Data: Cyber crimes against women saw a considerable rise in 2022 compared to 2021.
  • There has been an 11% rise in the number of cyber crimes against women in 2022.
  • Incidents where sexually explicit material of women were published or transmitted stood at 2,251 in 2022 compared to 1,896 in 2021. 
  • At the same time, other cyber crimes targeting women, such as blackmail, defamation, morphing, creating fake profiles, etc., stood at 689 in 2022 and 701 in 2021. 
• Additional risks for marginalised women in digital spaces: LGBTQ+ women, disabled women etc face compounded abuse.

Forms of OGBV

• Sexual Harassment: Women face specific types of online abuse, such as sexual harassment, including unsolicited sexual messages, lewd comments, and sexually explicit images
• Gender-Based Threats and Language: Women often receive threats of rape, doxing, stalking, and assault.
  • Example: Female public figures, such as activists, journalists, and politicians, encounter harassment that is both gendered and amplified due to their visibility.

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Reasons For Online Gender Based Violence

• Platform Design and Policies: Many social media platforms lack effective moderation policies or resources to address harassment against women. 
  • Example: There is a lack of investment in safety features in social media platforms.
  • Big Tech companies often dodge accountability by claiming that their platforms reflect upon users and that they cannot control it closely. 
    • They enjoy immunity from responsibility due to ‘safe harbour’ protections.
• Inadequate Reporting Mechanisms: Users often face long wait times for reported content to be reviewed, allowing abusive posts to remain visible and accessible for extended periods.
• Extension of Traditional Gender Roles: The online space can serve as an extension of offline patriarchal structures, where women are controlled, monitored, and punished for stepping outside traditional norms. 
  • Example: Criticism on Women’s appearance, clothing, or personal choices etc.
• Online Anonymity: The anonymity provided by the internet can embolden individuals to engage in harmful behaviours without fear of consequences. Example: Trolling and Cyberbullying etc.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) can amplify entrenched biases: Example: 
  • Automated Trolling and Harassment: Bots and automated accounts can be programmed to harass women online.
  • Algorithmic Bias: Algorithms may inadvertently promote content that is harmful or derogatory toward women
    • This can lead to echo chambers where harmful stereotypes and abusive content are amplified.
• Data Bias: Digital systems, shaped by datasets infused with societal prejudices and developed mostly by men, often lack the inclusivity needed to challenge discrimination effectively. 
  • Example: The representation of female staff in technology development (female AI developers) is also low in Meta and Google and OpenAI, according to data from Glass.ai.
• Fear of Reporting: Women may feel that reporting harassment will not lead to action or may even result in further victimisation. 
• Economic Incentives: The monetization of online content drives the growth of AI-generated videos of Women.
  • Platforms depend on advertising revenue linked to user engagement, so controversial or sensational content, like deep fakes, attracts more views and interactions. 
  • This makes it financially rewarding for both creators and platforms.

Issues Arising Due To Online Gender Based Violence

• Privacy Concerns: AI-generated videos, especially deepfakes, often use real images or videos of individuals without their consent. 
  • This violates the privacy rights of women, as their images are altered without their consent.
• Undermining Dignity: Such content can portray women in degrading or compromising situations, undermining their dignity, contributing to a culture of objectification.
• Mental Health Strain: Persistent online abuse affects women’s mental health, leading to anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. 
• Deterrence from Public Discourse: Due to safety concerns, many women are dissuaded from participating in digital discourse, which limits their visibility in public conversations, reduces professional opportunities, and maintains male dominance in these spaces.
  • Online harassment sees many women stopping to use digital devices.
• Inadequate Reporting Mechanisms: Many platforms do not have effective systems for reporting harassment or abuse, leaving women feeling powerless.

Initiatives Taken By India To Create Safe Digital Space For Women

• Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan: Aims to bridge the digital divide, focusing on enhancing digital literacy in rural areas.
  • The scheme targets 60 million households, empowering the rural population through digital skills.
• ‘Stay Safe Online’ Campaign: Was launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to educate citizens about online safety and promote responsible digital engagement.
  • It was conceptualised as part of India’s G20 presidency to raise awareness about safe internet practices, social media usage, and digital payment systems.
• Information Technology Rules, 2021: Mandate social media platforms to exercise greater diligence with respect to the content on their platforms.
  • Explicit Directives: The rules assign clear responsibilities to social media intermediaries for the removal of harmful content, including deep-fake videos or photos.
  • There is provision for direct requests for the content takedown in specific cases of content relating to breach of bodily privacy, impersonation, etc.
  • Ensuring Online Safety and Dignity of Users, Specially Women Users: Intermediaries shall remove or disable access within 24 hours of receipt of complaints of contents that exposes the private areas of individuals, show such individuals in full or partial nudity or in sexual act or is in the nature of impersonation including morphed images etc.
• Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC) Scheme: Launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs, this scheme aims to prevent and combat cybercrime against women and children.

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Measures to Create Safe Digital Spaces for Women

• Need for Stronger Content Moderation and Accountability in Big Tech: The platforms should enhance their privacy settings, allowing users to control who can contact them and view their content.
  • Protecting user privacy and data must be a top priority to ensure that technology is not used to perpetuate harmful biases or discrimination against women and girls.
    • Example: Simply labelling AI-generated content is insufficient. The harmful material, such as sexually explicit content, needs to be removed entirely to prevent damage from sharing and viewing.
  • Improved Review Processes: Timely review of harmful content, especially reported pornography, is essential to minimise harm.
• Ethical Responsibility of Tech Companies: Companies profiting from user-generated content must take responsibility for ensuring safe digital spaces.
• Designing digital solutions to advance gender equity: Digital solutions that take into consideration what women and girls need.
  • The involvement of girls and women in co-creation will accelerate digital adoption and help reduce the digital gender divide and accessibility.
• Increased Female Representation: Only 28 per cent of engineering graduates, 22 percent of artificial intelligence workers, and less than one third of tech sector employees globally are women. 
• Designing Ethical AI: Safety researchers and simulation exercises are required to test for gender biases, especially when AI is involved. 
  • This will help to ensure fair, safe and ethical AI by design.
• Digital campaigns: 
  • Example: Fireflies campaign against gender based cyber violence conducted by UN Women Turkey intends to create a global e-solidarity network which supports ending online discrimination against women and girls.
• Integrate Digital Citizenship In School: Integrate digital citizenship and ethical use of digital tools into school curricula to foster positive social norms online and offline. 
  • Sensitize young people, especially young men and boys to ethical and responsible online behaviour.

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Conclusion

Preventing violence in the digital age is crucial to gender equality. By creating safer online spaces, we can foster an environment that promotes respect, inclusion, and equal opportunities for everyone.

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