North America
In depth
"Revenge Porn": 5 important reasons why we should not call it by that name
This article sums up the different and important reasons why we should stop using the term "revenge porn" when describing certain kinds of violations online that entail the non-consensual taking and circulation of intimate images. Why does language matter and how does it shape our perceptions and responses? Sophie Maddocks tells us more, based on her extensive research and interviews with...
Publication
Gender and Privacy: From Oppression to Liberation: Reclaiming the Right to Privacy
A report that examines the overlapping concerns of gender, privacy, surveillance, and gender-based violence in Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, North America. The report raises issues including gender-based violence in the private sphere, rigid gender categories in identity programs its impact on trans people, etc.
Publication
A Brief Introduction to FOSTA-SESTA
A zine on the implications of the new laws on sex trafficking that has implications for digital rights, rights of sex worker groups and sex workers. Though the law has been introduced in the United States of America, the implications are global as censorship curtails global platforms such as Skype, and could have potential implications on internet censorship norms globally.
In depth
The battle for sex worker's rights online: Proposed SESTA-FOSTA law in USA
A proposed new law in the United States of America would not only result in censorship of the internet and specifically message boards, but also will limit the possibilities of sex-workers to use the internet for their work, to build community and safe spaces online.
Feminist talk
Toxic Twitter: Amnesty International report on social media and online violence
Twitter, in particular, can be a powerful tool for women to make connections and express themselves - from high-level female politicians to journalists, activists, writers and bloggers, to women who simply want to know what’s happening around them. It is allegedly the space where ‘every voice has the power to impact the world’. But as revealed by the report by Amnesty International, Twitter is...
Feminist talk
[COLUMN] Joining the dots: ICT sweatshops facing the heat
This month's column by Sonia Randhawa looks at intersections between ICTs, gender and climate change through the lens of the women working in the software, rather than the hardware side of things. While many of the big companies in North America have taken steps to ensure that the energy for data processing comes from renewable sources, the question remains what is the environmental impact and...
Feminist talk
We can't do it alone: Connections at AWID 2016
In such massive gatherings often the plenary session rings a bit empty or hollow, like background noise to other more real conversations taking place. AWID was different in that its massive burst of energy and radical politics was most often from the plenary sessions. This article explores the sessions at AWID held by Dalit women, Romani women, Rojava/Kobane women, and others.
Feminist talk
New mobile app for sexuality research pulled back over privacy concerns
Melissa Ditmore reflects on release and subsequent pulling back of new application designed to collect data on sexual activity by Kinsey Institute in the USA. She outlines privacy concerns raised and how these holes can jeopardize users data. She also makes a make a case how this app once privacy gaps are fixed can assist to document unwanted and often under-reported sexual experiences, such as...
Feminist talk
Rape and the courts: Going online isn't really justice
Savannah Dietrich was raped. The rapists took photographs and circulated them at her school - but in a plea bargain, she was told that she was not allowed to tell people what had happened. She posted the names of her attackers on social media sites, risking a jail sentence and a fine. But is this justice?
Feminist talk
USA: EROTICS responses to the Denver library - a fictional exchange on real foundations
Tapping the groundbreaking findings of the US EROTICS report that investigated the mandated internet filtering in publicly-funded libraries, Flavia Fascendini leads a fictional dialogue with the Denver Public Library FAQ on content regulation.
