A new study finds Meta, Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon and Apple are among companies riddled by allegations of gender-related harm.

Despite years of initiatives promising greater gender inclusion in the tech sector, new research has found that some of the most profitable and influential tech companies are harming women and LGBTQI+ persons through their operations, products and services.

Between 2014 and 2024, more than 200 allegations of gender-based harm were linked to 11 leading technology companies: Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Foxconn, Intel, Microsoft, Samsung, X and Uber. Accusations levelled at these firms include fuelling gendered hate speech, sexual violence, discriminatory hiring practices and threats to freedom of expression of women and LGBTQI+ persons – with Meta being linked to the most allegations of abuse (57).

The report, ‘By design or by default: the gendered harms of the tech sector’, analysed allegations of gender-related harms linked to these companies over the past ten years, as well as their gender-related commitments, policies and practices.

Meagan Barrera, North America Researcher & Representative, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, said: “Women and LGBTQI+ individuals make up half of the user base for most major platforms, yet their rights and safety remain an afterthought in how some of the biggest tech companies in the world operate, moderate and design. From allegations of sexual abuse by Uber drivers to discriminatory hiring practices at Foxconn’s factories, and censorship that silences women activists on Meta’s platforms, the tech sector is rampant with persistent gender pay gaps, workplace discrimination, algorithmic biases and exclusionary-by-design digital systems. Women and LGBTQI+ individuals face barriers at every stage of the tech innovation industry – and while tech companies have the tools to prevent these harms, they are repeatedly choosing not to use them. This isn’t a gap in knowledge – it indicates a gap in will.”

Key findings from the analysis revealed:

• Eight of the 11 companies have made commitments to gender equality and women empowerment, but only three companies (Amazon, Foxconn and Intel) screen suppliers for gender-related issues, according to their public disclosures.
• Most (57%) allegations of harm were linked to downstream impacts on end-users, communities or individuals upon which technologies are being imposed (once the products and services leave the hands of the company). These include:
• Fuelling or promoting gender-based stereotypes and hate speech (58 allegations);
• Harassment, sexual harassment, violence and abuse online (36);
• Threats to freedom of expression and the right to information (26);
• Harassment, sexual harassment, physical violence or abuse offline (24);
• Violations of the right to privacy (22);
• Gender-based exclusion or lack of equitable access (18).
• This was followed by 39% of allegations linked to companies’ own operations, including:
• Violations of labour rights (51 allegations);
• Harassment, sexual harassment, physical violence or abuse (17);
• Negative impacts on physical health, including reproductive rights (15);
• Gender-based exclusion or lack of equitable access (12);
• Underrepresentation and lack of temporary special measures (10);
• Lack of access to effective, culturally sensitive remedy (6).

Published by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre and the World Benchmarking Alliance, the report revealed the extent to which this is a systemic and predictable problem, permeating the entire value chain – and painting a concerning picture in terms of how these highly profitable and influential companies are falling woefully short in addressing systemic gender-based harms embedded within their operations, products and services.

Meredith Veit, Tech & Human Rights Researcher, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, said: “These harms are not occurring in isolation; they are the result of tech companies continuing to operate without integration of meaningful gender safeguards across their value chains. It is concerning that these companies may be tolerating, and even benefiting, from abuse, surveillance and gendered disinformation across their platforms. AI ethics pledges, executive shuffles or DEI statements are no substitute for systemic accountability. With these big tech players earning billions in revenue, they have the resources, visibility and influence to lead change, not just follow it. If tech companies cannot prove that they are preventing gender-based harm, they may be helping create it.”

Company-specific spotlights:

• Despite Amazon’s commitment to gender equality, it had the highest number of gender-related labour rights allegations (totalling 18).
• X does not make a policy commitment to privacy, despite privacy being a crucial gateway right for women and LGBTQI+ people, with its violation exposing them to disproportionate risks of surveillance, discrimination and gender-based violence.
• Amazon, Apple and X lack clear policy commitments to uphold human rights in the development of algorithmic systems, whose development and deployment impose disproportionate risks on women and LGBTQI+ people.
• Meta's Hateful Conduct Policy fails to adequately protect LGBTQI+ individuals, exposing them to online hate, harassment and discrimination—falling short of the company’s stated commitment to human rights.
• YouTube, a platform owned by Alphabet, has also rolled back elements of its hate speech policy—highlighting the company’s continued failure to effectively address discrimination across its services.

Technology companies that address human rights risks along their value chains more proactively have provided examples of how this can be done, including demanding that ICT suppliers prohibit worker-paid recruitment fees, embedding human rights due diligence into sales procedures, or rejecting contracts where the risk of product abuse is unacceptably high. Similar approaches could and should be applied to address gender-based harms more systematically. This kind of change can improve internal operations to benefit employee wellbeing, reduce reputational risk and better the design and development of tech products and services.

Ilayda Eren, Research Manager at the World Benchmarking Alliance, said: “A small group of the most powerful digital companies shapes the entire digital ecosystem. Without gender-transformative approaches, even the most basic human rights cannot be safeguarded. By combining WBA’s data and insights with BHRRC’s allegations database, we can clearly see the gap between what companies say and what they do. This underscores the urgent need for course correction across the sector.”

Tayrine Dias, Research Analyst at the World Benchmarking Alliance, said: "These companies are among the most influential in the world, and their products and services are used by billions of people worldwide. They have ample resources to identify risks, assess impacts, take corrective action and provide remedy and reparation to affected individuals and communities.

“Despite calls to improve their policies and practices, these companies are failing to commit meaningfully to gender equality and empowerment or to properly assess how their products and services are harming women and LGBTQI+ individuals. Top companies must show the way forward by adopting a systemic, gender-competent approach that raises standards throughout the tech industry."

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Notes to editors: 

• Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) is an international NGO that tracks the human rights impacts of companies across the globe. With partners and allies worldwide, BHRRC seeks to put human rights at the heart of business to deliver a just economy, climate justice, and end abuse.
• World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) measures how businesses impact people and the planet to hold companies accountable for contributing to sustainable development. In January 2026, WBA will be releasing an assessment of all 2000 companies at once for the first time.
• About this research: This research looked at 11 companies (Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Foxconn, Intel, Microsoft, Meta, Samsung, Uber, X) that are among the highest in revenue and number of employees, and/or number of active users, which have corresponding gender-related allegations in BHRRC’s database between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2024.The companies’ gender-related commitments, policies and procedures were then analysed using WBA benchmarks.
• Resources:
• 2023 Digital Inclusion Benchmark (World Benchmarking Alliance)
• 2024 Gender Assessment (World Benchmarking Alliance)
• 2025 Ranking Digital Rights Index: Big Tech Edition (World Benchmarking Alliance)
• Allegations of abuse linked to the 11 tech companies (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre)

Media contacts:

Priyanka Mogul, Senior Communications Officer (Media/PR), Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, [email protected]

Blanca Civit Sardà, Communications and Media Lead, World Benchmarking Alliance, [email protected]