Feminist reflections on internet policies

Between right-wing governments and corporate capture of online spaces, there are interesting shifts in how sexuality is censored and governed online and offline. This article looks at the reach and over-reach of laws related to obscenity and censorship in South Asia and the impact that has had on free speech around sex, sex work and sexuality.

What does it mean to rise to the surface of people's attention briefly because of violence done to your body, harassment, dispossession and precarity, only to be replaced the next day by the next trending hashtag? This article explores the limits of straight discourse online and the convenient elision of queer accounts and issues.

Shadi Amin, an Iranian queer feminist and writer, became the victim of an online defamation campaign that left her with no recourse. The allegations of rape, abuse, bullying and money laundering wrecked Amin's life and in this interview with Shreya Ila Anasuya, Amin describes the ways in which the attack took place and what happened after.

In this last week there has been an uproar in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer people in Ethiopia, and also a backlash of online threats, harassment and violence.

In this last week there has been an uproar in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer people in Ethiopia, and also a backlash of online threats, harassment and violence. Tigist Hussen examines what is hopeful in all the noise and furore. 

Across Brazil, Bulgaria, Poland and at the international level there is a vicious and concerted attempt to dilute the language around gender in policy and UN mechanisms which targets any gains in gender equality, advocates exclusion of LGBTIQ people and restrictions on sexual and reproductive rights. The attack on gender is real and here, what are we going to do about it?

The rollout of the Huduma namba is taking place over Kenya. This article traces the experience of one young woman Nyangi as she tries to get a card, and more broadly the problems and hurdles posed by the system of digital identity.

Tiktok is a wildly popular short video platform and has led to a myriad form of creative and playful expressions. This article explores the videos from Ceylon in relation to heteronormativity, gender, and how the boundaries between the personal and public are blurred.

Food and in particular nutrition for children is a widely debated topic on social media, media and onground in India, and the reason for this is how caste plays a role. This article breaks down why the imposition of veganism or a savarna diet would harm children who are poor and do not have access to the same privileges as others.

Gender Ideology: Tracking its Origins and Meanings in Current Gender Politics Language English

This article explores mental health facilities in Kenya and if artificial intelligence can provide solutions for the dire need for infrastructure. Even if the use of artificial intelligence poses a solution to this, there are risks for data and privacy, algorithmic bias and large scale misdiagnosis. AI can only work when alongside human and humane treatment.

In this exploration of the questions of access and economy for women in Ghana, the author takes a closer look at the digital gender-gap. When women don't have equal access to the internet then what are the economic implications?

As part of the research hackathon, the WRP team and the peer-advisory committee worked on the first version of the practices document that reflects feminist research practices, politics and values that would be relevant to those in the network, and more broadly in the field of research on internet, feminism and gender. This was then discussed in detail with the research partners in the network. A more detailed transcription of all discussions will be included in the report on the FIRN inception meeting (27 Feb-1 March 2019).

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Privacy allows women and members of marginalised communities to create safe spaces of expression and makes available tools that challenge norms that restrict equality, access and control. Bianca Baldo interviews Eva Blum-Dumontet, one of the authors of the recent report from Privacy International on gender and privacy.

The Tumblr porn ban reveals how laws in one country against sex trafficking can be used to police content online, and especially has an impact on queer, trans and other sexuality related content. Here Tiffany Mugo talks about what that does to the discourse around sex positivity online.

Privacy was initially understood simply as the right to be left alone. The increasing use of internet, social media, surveillance and algorithmic processing has however shifted the meanings of privacy, and here we explore the conceptual understandings of privacy and its links to autonomy, human dignity and self-determination.

Access to the internet is finally a priority for companies and the government. It is fundamental to freedom of expression, and also linked to economic, social and cultural rights. However the gender digital divide persists, and in this article we explore what uses women make of the internet (Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms) in urban and rural parts of Manipur. Is this use limited to social media, what about the generation gap, the rampant spread of election propaganda?

Key findings in the report  

Affordability : A quarter (25%) of respondents made an income of less than UGX100,000(US$27) per month. Paying the social media tax for one-month accounts to
>6% of their total monthly expenditures.
Access : Around 56% of persons interviewed pay their social media taxes, whereas 38% continue to use a VPN to access “over-the-top” services.

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In Ghana sexual assault is vastly under-reported and there is a huge barrier in the police procedures for reporting of crimes. In this article based on multiple interviews, the author explores what role technology can play in addressing this, and can public discourse and visibility around sexual assault lead to change?

The second in a series on queerness and privacy, this article explores the relevance of what is legally understood as privacy in the lives of queer people and communities living in the "global South". In this article, the contradictions between online dating for queer and gay people and the precarity of their daily lives is explored.