A new Ofcom report draws on the online experiences of women working in politics – including current and former Members of Parliament.
The research involved 23 politicians. Those we spoke to told us how online hate and abuse is constant and impacts how they go about their daily lives, do their jobs and express themselves online.
Being online gives politicians space to share their messages, connect with constituents, and engage with political issues. Yet many of the women we spoke to believe online abuse deters some women from getting into politics altogether. And some said it had been a factor in them, and others they know, withdrawing from political life.
Participants told us that online hate and abuse:
- Often has an underlying misogynistic tone to it, and regularly strayed into rape and death threats.
- Comes from a variety of people, including people identifying themselves as constituents, as well as anonymous accounts.
- Is often triggered by standard parts of their job role, such as being vocal about a particular issue.
- Is difficult to control, and tools such as blocking or muting, do not go far enough to help protect them.
- Is getting worse as it is becoming more common, more sophisticated in terms of how it targets individuals, and seemingly normalised.
Tackling online harassment
Some of the online abuse people experience is illegal under UK law, such as some types of threatening or abusive behaviour and harassment. Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must assess the risk of UK users encountering illegal material and use appropriate measures to protect them from it.
In recognition of the harms that disproportionately affect women and girls, Ofcom has consulted on guidance for tech firms to tackle online harms against women and girls. It explicitly highlights online harassment – which often affects women in public life – as one of four proposed priority areas for action, alongside online domestic abuse, image-based abuse and online misogyny. Our consultation has now closed, and we are now considering responses before finalising our guidance.
New online safety duties on platforms
Today’s research is part of a broader programme of work to better understand the lived experience of groups and individuals who have been particularly impacted by online harm.
As part of Ofcom’s work to implement the UK’s Online Safety Act, we will produce a Code of Practice for consultation on how certain ‘categorised’ services can comply with duties to offer adults tools that help them manage the content they see. These user empowerment duties were, in part, influenced by the abuse and hate experienced by people in the public eye, including women in politics, and will support people experiencing online abuse that is not illegal under UK laws.