Silenced Online: Confronting Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), refers to acts of violence directed at women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals because of their gender identity and expression in digital spaces. It is a complex manifestation of gender inequality that operates both online and offline, reflecting and reinforcing patriarchal structures that perpetuate discrimination, violence, and marginalisation.

Feminists highlight that TFGBV is not merely about harmful online behaviour; it is fundamentally political and connected to broader societal power dynamics. Online spaces have become arenas where GBV manifests through various forms, including online harassment, image abuse, doxxing, stalking, non-consensual deepfakes, and coordinated hate campaigns.

From a 2026 report by the Information Integrity Initiative (III) for UN Women, in partnership with UNESCO and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).

 

These acts often serve as tools to silence, punish, and intimidate women and marginalised groups for daring to speak out, demonstrate expertise, or challenge societal norms.

Incidents are embedded within larger systems designed to control and suppress dissent from those who threaten established power structures, making TFGBV inherently political and systemic rather than isolated incidents.

Currently, digital platforms’ responsibilities in preventing and responding to TFGBV are often inadequate. Most platforms lack clear policies, effective enforcement mechanisms, and accountability measures to protect survivors. Additionally, legal frameworks in many jurisdictions remain weak or poorly enforced, leaving survivors without proper recourse.

Social stigma around online abuse discourages victims from speaking out, further emboldening perpetrators and perpetuating silence.

Effective responses to TFGBV necessitate multi-layered solutions:

• Legal reforms are critical to establishing accessible and enforceable protections for survivors.
• Countries need updated legislation tailored addressing issues like online harassment, privacy violations, and non-consensual content.
• Platforms must enhance transparency by providing clear reporting procedures, swift responses, and robust moderation policies that prevent abuse.

Supporting survivors goes beyond individual resilience; it involves designing safer online environments through ongoing collaboration with feminist activists, survivors, community groups, and technologists to create inclusive, accessible tools. This must be driven by a survivor-centred approach offering meaningful remedies, including counselling, legal support, and safe spaces for recovery.

Importantly, integrating women, survivors, and marginalised groups into the governance and development of AI and digital platforms is crucial for creating equitable, accountable, and inclusive technologies. Women are not merely users or victims but also knowledge creators whose lived experiences should inform the policies and systems that shape their digital environment.

Further Reading

• Online violence is constraining women’s participation in public life in the AI age, write Posetti, Williams, Hellmueller, Renaud, Shabbir, and Aboulez (2026) in a report titled ‘Tipping Point: Online Violence Impacts, Manifestations and Redress in the AI Age’.
• The silencing of influential women, including journalists, can at times be driven by networks linked to governments. Owen Jones (2021) explores this dynamic in his article, ‘State-aligned misogynistic disinformation on Arabic Twitter: The attempted silencing of an Al Jazeera journalist’.

With the support of Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), CINIA is coordinating research on a range of issues aimed at strengthening information integrity across the Global South, including projects focused on technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Learn more HERE.