Feminist Theorisation of Cybersecurity to Identify and Tackle Online Extremism

By Elsa Bengtsson Meuller,

From the document: "Online abuse and extremism disproportionately target marginalised populations, particularly people of colour, women and transgender and non‐binary people. The core argument of this report focuses on the intersecting failure of Preventing and Counter Violent Extremism (P/CVE) policies and cybersecurity policies to centre the experiences and needs of victims and survivors of online extremism and abuse. In failing to do so, technology companies and states also fail to combat extremism. The practice of online abuse is gendered and racialised in its design and works to assert dominance through male supremacist logic. Online abuse is often used by extremist groups such as the far right, jihadist groups and misogynist incels. Yet online abuse is not seen as a 'threat of value' in cybersecurity policies. Additionally, the discipline of terrorism studies has failed to engage with the intersection of racism and misogyny properly. Consequently, we fail to centre marginalised victims in our responses to extremism and abuse. Through the implementation of a feminist theorisation of cybersecurity to tackle extremism, this report proposes three core shifts in our responses to online extremism: Incorporate misogynist and racist online abuse into our conceptions of extremism. Shift the focus from responding to attacks and violence to addressing structural violence online. Empower and centre victims and survivors of online abuse and extremism."

Global Network On Extremism And Technology (Gnet). 2023. 32p.