Gender and Human Rights in the Digital Age

Despite some notable gains in visibility around rights for women and LGBTI people in some parts of the world, the accompanying backlash against these gains should be considered an issue of urgency. From the resurgence of anti-LGBTI legislation in several countries to the growing crackdowns on the right to reproductive freedom, what often unites these forms of misogyny and homophobia is the amplification or suppression of certain forms of speech online. Meanwhile, the growing digitisation of ever more areas of daily life – while put forward as a way to increase efficiency or access to services – is often proving to be the means by which a range of rights violations are exacerbated for women and LGBTI people.

In this context, how should we understand the complex relationship between gender, technology and various inequalities and human rights issues? This is the subject of our recent briefing paper for Amnesty International. Particularly amidst the automation of more areas of life and the rapid development of artificial intelligence systems, we argue that human rights advocates should watch closely how new forms of technology are at risk of entrenching social, racial, and economic inequalities for women and LGBTI people in multiple and intersecting ways.

New Technologies, New Threats 

From the unchecked implementation of digital ID systems to algorithms being used in social protection systems, there is a growing trend to integrate technology into every aspect of daily life. The introduction of digital technologies cannot be understood as a neutral measure, but rather as one which reinforces existing inequalities. From the disproportionate lack of women, people of colour, and other marginalised groups in the technology industry to decreasing investments in the trust and safety and policy teams of major technology companies, a persistent lack of the perspectives of marginalised people often is embedded within the very structure of these technologies.

This leads to harms such as systemic discrimination and privacy violations, with those already experiencing marginalisation and discrimination typically most at risk. For scholars and policymakers looking to address these harms, an intersectional understanding is essential. Too often, issues around digital rights are approached using a frame of analysis that fails to understand how the intersection of gender, race, socioeconomic status, disability, and other factors uniquely intersect to influence a person’s experience of their own human rights.

Recent research by Amnesty International has shown the specific impacts that digital technologies can have on the rights of women, girls and LGBTI people, and the barriers that they face when exercising their human rights in the digital space. This includes accessing information about sexual and reproductive health, rights and services, such as abortion. When governments or social media platforms limit access to health information, particularly for key services for women and LGBTI people, it may constitute a violation of the right to health. This trend is on the rise in the United States, where Amnesty International has reported removals of abortion-related content on Meta and TikTok, effectively preventing people from accessing life-saving information.

Identity, Inclusion, and Technology 

Marginalised groups, including women and LGBTI people, face threats to their human rights due to extensive and improper data collection and uses that do not reflect their individual realities. Governments justify the use of automation in social protection systems as a cost-saving solution despite its well-documented human rights risks and the fact that its use is often rife with mistakes and errors.

In Pakistan, for example, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) suspended the “X” category on its Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs). This category had allowed individuals to identify with a gender other than male or female. The decision left thousands of transgender and gender-diverse individuals without valid identity documents, preventing them from exercising their fundamental rights, such as voting or accessing healthcare and employment opportunities. The registrations under “X” category, however, were resumed in September 2023.

With the increased rollout of digital identification systems around the world, as well as the digitisation of more forms of social services, it is likely that rights violations of this kind will only increase

Technology-facilitated Gender-based violence (TfGBV)

TfGBV refers to the range of ways that different types of technology are being used to cause particular kinds of harm to women, girls, and LGBTI people, such as online harassment, doxing, and targeted surveillance. Women and LGBTI people face targeted gendered harassment and violence online, which is often not taken seriously or made a priority by the companies whose platforms facilitate this abuse.

Targeted digital surveillance through the use of spyware can also constitute a form of tech-facilitated gender-based violence (TfGBV). Women and LGBTI people are targeted and surveilled for engaging in human rights activism and face a range of gendered impacts because of such targeting. Amnesty International’s research in Thailand exposed how activists have been maliciously and unlawfully targeted with digital surveillance and online harassment by state and non-state actors, resulting in deeply harmful gendered impacts on women and LGBTI human rights defenders. Such pernicious targeting, including with the notorious Pegasus spyware, has created a 'chilling effect', which has led to self-censorship and in some cases a withdrawal from activism. Women and LGBTI activists in Thailand were also subjected to various forms of online harassment including doxing, smear campaigns, threats and abusive messages – all aimed at intimidating, causing distress, and silencing the activists in question.

It is vital that governments and private actors take an explicitly gender-inclusive approach to regulating technologies and addressing its harms in order to understand how technology impacts people’s lives and futures. If these systems perpetuate discrimination and inequality for women and LGBTI people, then they should not be deployed.

Summing up: The Need for an Intersectional Approach

Amidst crackdowns on the rights of women and LGBTI people around the world, the role of technology is increasingly important, particularly in cases where the internet may be the only viable source of information or communication, or where digitised social services can impact a person’s very survival by providing access to healthcare, education, employment, and more.

An explicitly intersectional framework for understanding digital rights and the various harms perpetuated by technology is key for activists, scholars, human rights defenders, and others carrying on the fight for the rights of women and LGBTI people. By watching closely and prioritising the voices, experiences, and perspectives of affected people and marginalised communities, we can better prepare the way for a safe and equitable future for all.

The views expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity programme, the International Inequalities Institute, or the London School of Economics and Political Science.