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Disinformation is a powerful political weapon that has a specific impact on the political lives of women and non-binary people. Harassment, abuse and gendered disinformation campaigns are frequently used to target women and marginalised groups online. Gendered disinformation has a silencing effect on women and marginalised groups and makes it difficult for them to safely engage and participate in public spaces. A 2021 study revealed that 85% of women across the globe have experienced or witnessed online gender-based violence (OGBV), and the number rose to 88% in the context of Asia-Pacific. From morphed images to falsified videos, women in South-Asian countries face all sorts of anger from keyboard warriors. Given the fact that these threats often spill into physical space, it?s very alarming as it puts their family & friends at risk as well. According to Global Disinformation Index, ad-tech vendors have been monetising misogynistic disinformation content which perpetuates and spreads adversarial narratives directed at marginalised groups. Google, Amazon, and Criteo have been funding such content even though they have specific publisher policies to prevent their advertisements away from hateful content.
Tech giants and their deft exploitation of the gaps created by the non-applicability of traditional systems of oversight serves to enhance their competitive edge. Even the push to regulate the tech industry, which stems from genuine cases such as online harassment, and protection from manipulative practices, is being exploited to curb free speech and gain access to data. This has resulted in greater government intervention in the digital sphere, endangering women human rights defenders (WHRDs) and women journalists. This convening will bring together representatives from civil society, media development organisations, journalists and the digital rights community in Asia Pacific. The goal is to enable collaborative dialogue amongst different regional stakeholders who have been working on challenges related to gendered misinformation and facilitate the creation of a collaborative strategy for collective action. The convening also includes a number of capacity building workshops.
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