Digital violence through digital platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and TikTok mainly affects women who are threatened and extorted by partners or ex-partners to disseminate intimate content. Other violence includes discriminatory acts, monitoring, stalking and sexual abuse in relation to technologies. These networks of threats and extortion occur through organised groups of perpetrators, who pose as ‘support’ networks for victims of digital violence. When they report these acts, victims are often re-victimised, and can be the focus of prejudice and stigmatisation.

The Business and Human Rights Information Centre invited META, X Corp, ByteDance and Telegram to respond to information regarding allegations of insufficient action to address digital violence, particularly the lack of adequate reporting mechanisms and the provision of prompt and adequate responses to victims; only Meta responded.