“I wake up to a thousand tweets insulting me”: Digital attacks against exiled and diaspora women activists – and what to do about them

Digital technologies have given dictators new capacities to control and punish dissent across borders. Repressive regimes rely on surveillance, malware attacks, online harassment and disinformation to undermine democratic activism abroad. Migrant women activists and journalists with ties to authoritarian countries face particular forms of attack that instrumentalize their gender to discredit, shame and discourage them from speaking out.

This session builds on the Citizen Lab’s ongoing research and more than 80 interviews with targets of digital transnational repression. Using examples from countries such as Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey, we show the various threats and intimidation experienced by women activists. We highlight the detrimental effects of these tactics on freedom of expression and other human rights and reflect on what democratic governments, tech platforms and civil society could (and should) do to ensure the safety and protect the wellbeing of digital activists.