Take Back The Tech!

A translucent image of a woman holding up a sign. On a browser tab is text: Report VASW is a website, not an app — nothing needs to be downloaded. Plus: using a website is safer than an app for people whose phones may be surveilled — it is harder to find on a device. On a phone screen is text: It works like a form, and asks whether the violence was online (e.g. sharing personal information) or in real life (e.g. physical violence), what happened, where, and whether the survivor would like to be contacted by Nawara. On the top right corner is text: Source: A new tool to help sex workers who experience violence https://www.apc.org/en/news/new-tool-help-sex-workers-who-experience-violence-2 On the bottom right corner is text: #InternationalDayToEndViolenceAgainstSexWorkers

On the #InternationalDayToEndViolenceAgainstSexWorkers, we're spotlighting the incredible work done by Nawara Women’s Network for the MENA region.

They supported a digital tool to collect information about violence against sex workers in the MENA region. ⬇️ @apc.org

www.apc.org/en/news/new-...

Yes, #OnlineStalking of #WHRDs is real.

Marina from @derechosdigitales.org says: "We need a holistic approach.. intersectional, proportional, and contextualised. We need rights-based tech governance [because] when defenders are safe, our democracies are safe too."

#16Days #HumanRightsDay @apc.org

What does feminist digital safety look like? Why is it important?

Riddhima from #POVMumbai says: "Feminist digital safety means it is built into platforms, rather than being an afterthought... Safety is a pre-requisite to fully and freely participate online."

#TakeBackTechJoy #16Days @apc.org

Supporting Women Human Rights Defenders' advocacy is now more important than ever before.

As Anais from #NavegandoLibres puts it: "Funding #WHRDs means funding the fight for a dignified world... asking for our rights and dignity is never extreme." #TakeBackTechJoy #NoTechForWar @apc.org #16Days

Image of a woman looking at a computer with hate speech and surveillance eyes. Text: The name of the digital stalkers army working at the behest of the Zimbabwe regime is called ‘Varakashi’. When translated from Zimbabwe’s vernacular Shona language, this means ‘Digital Destroyers’. ‘Varakashi: Here and abroad, Zimbabwe´s state online-stalkers brigade hunts female prey’ Narratives of Power on GenderIT

Image of a woman looking at a computer with hate speech and surveillance eyes. Text: “Their job description is ruthless and clear-cut: to surveil dissidents at home and abroad, to disrupt social media or e-news sites debate, to sow rapid fire digital misinformation and suppress criticism of Zimbabwe’s governing regime.” Yasin Kakande Africanist, Zimbabwe expert and author.

The methods of the #Varakashi social media stalkers are both brazen and subtle. They are so adept [and] can quickly morph [identities], says a former digital #stalker working for Zimbabwe’s government.

Read here: genderit.org/feminist-tal...

#NarrativesOfPower #NoTechForWar #16Days

@apc.org

Can digital safety legislation be developed without relying on surveillance-heavy solutions?

Annex from @pollicy.bsky.social says: "Digital safety regulations are important [but] we recommend government bodies to employ a gender lens in [forming] these regulations." #16Days #NoTechForWar @apc.org

An outlined illustration of a women’s protest in Guam (Hawaii), with the banners revolving around Indigenous women’s (Famalao’an) rights. Text: “To experience colonisation as an Indigenous woman is to reckon with subjugation on multiple fronts, a compounding pressure that is unfortunately neglected or disregarded when addressing decolonisation and social justice.”

Ha’åni Lucia Falo San Nicola from Guåhan writes about the intersecting struggles of #Indigenous communities and women’s rights. #WHRDVoices

This is definitely a must-read, and possibly a bookmark. On #GenderIT: genderit.org/Unyielding_A...

#SafetyForVoices #16Days @apc.org #Hawaii #IndigenousWomen

An illustration of a butterfly net catching butterflies in trans colours, while mouse cursors point to the catching. Text: Trans activists who support extreme right-wing ideologies become allies of the very system that marginalises them, perpetuating their own oppression.

An illustration of a butterfly net catching butterflies in trans colours, while mouse cursors point to the catching. Text: Cyberstalking has become a fundamental tool in this dynamic. Text adapted from “When The Oppressed Use The Master’s Tools To Oppress: Cyberstalking From Anti-rights Trans Activists” (in smaller text)

A partial illustration of the butterflies. Text: In the case of trans people, cyberstalking is not an isolated phenomenon. It is a manifestation of the structural violence that has existed for centuries.

A partial illustration of the butterflies. Text: The ecosystem of misinformation that develops around cyberstalking makes it even more complex. Digital platforms are used to spread lies about gender identity, transition, and human rights.

Trans people are often stalked online. #NarrativesOfPower #16Days

A lot of times, such stalking aims to discredit, silence, and amplify rampant anti-trans #disinformation — this has real consequences for an already vulnerable community.

Read: genderit.org/feminist-tal...

@apc.org

Image of people mobilising for Palestine. In the backdrop is a large wall or fort-like structure which is outlined. Text: “From childhood, we learn that Palestinians live a different reality from other people.”

Image of people mobilising for Palestine. Text: “One becomes accustomed to going through Israeli military checkpoints, being subjected to searches, harassment, arrests, tear gas firings and sounds of gunfire.”

Partial image of the outlined wall/fort-like structure. Text: “You inherit a level of trauma which, though normalised, grows with you and leaves a long-term impact.”

Partial image of people mobilising. Text: “We also carry a particular anxiety as women, doing the best we can while thinking of our family and of others around us, who may, for example, face some form of surveillance or intimidation from the IOF or be subjected to visa or residence permit denial…”

#WHRDVoices: Read the reflection of Mariam, a #Palestinian woman human rights defender, on the recent #Israeli colonial violence, the challenges, and what kept Palestinian human rights defenders going.

Now on #GenderITorg: genderit.org/Unyielding_A...

#16DaysOfActivism #NoTechForWar @apc.org

An illustration of a woman on a stage speaking into a mic. Text: “I don’t think anyone noticed when I disappeared. I stopped performing stand-up, stopped using my voice. No one asked me why I had stopped showing up at open mics.” “I keep receipts” Vickie Wang

What would you do if a casual acquaintance...

➡️ found your personal email address 📩

➡️ showed up at events you’re going to 🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑🏽

➡️ spread a completely fake story (with serious allegations) about your loved one? 💔

Well, Vickie kept receipts 😉: genderit.org/feminist-tal... #16Days @apc.org

An outlined illustration of a protest with barbed wire graphics. Text: “State crackdowns on digital spaces often attempt to fracture the collective by isolating and punishing visible individuals.”

Barbed wire graphics with part of the protest imagery visible. Text: “It is a strategy designed to dismantle the "we" by targeting the faces that make the political work more discernible.”

Barbed wire graphics with part of the protest imagery visible. Text: “What we name as online visibility is never neutral. It is shaped by who is watching, who is targeted, who is deemed expendable.”

Barbed wire graphics with part of the protest imagery visible. Text: “Where internet access is dictated by the state, digital erasure is a form of political silencing. Digital access shapes who gets seen and who remains invisible.” (in small text) This post has been adapted from an anthology by Women Human Rights Defenders by Safety For Voices.

Highly visible movements are targeted on social media as “a calculated effort to reverse the gains of the 2010s, and to isolate and punish those who dared to be visible,” says Zoya Rahman. #WHRDVoices #16Days @apc.org

Deconstruct #BigTech visibility on @GenderITorg: genderit.org/Unyielding_A...

An illustration of a distressed woman behind a checkout counter going through a very long list of unsolicited messages and images. Text: “I would be fired on the spot to tell male store managers to redesign the checkout tech. On any day in my store, there are 100 other desperate women with CVs in the books of labor brokers, waiting to take up my cashier’s job anytime.” Agnes Ndaba Former checkout cashier Currently a trade union gender activist with the National Union of Retail Workers of South Africa You look cute: How electronic checkout slips became a stalking nightmare for South Africa’s women (in smaller text)

In South Africa, it’s common practice for retail stores to display a cashier’s full name.

For women, it turns into a nightmare.

A booming retail industry and an abundance of labour means that women are scared to ask for safety concessions. #16Days @apc.org

Read: genderit.org/feminist-tal...

Illustration of a long-haired person holding up a signboard: We the people of India. Behind them is a fire.

Four panels of illustrations. Panel 1: A yelling mouth coming out of a phone screen with eyes on it. Panel 2: A figure surrounded by browser tabs filled with insults and hate speech. Panel 3: Two hands pointing towards a figure on the corner. Part 4: A phone with text on the screen: Lock your profile. Social media icons and text bubbles coming out of it.

A browser tab with web address: http://shameladyboy.sendthreats.com The screen is divided into multiple panels with eyes, figures of women, hate speech, and sexual advertisements.

Browser tab with the same web address. Text: “The act of voicing dissent, engaging in political praxis, or even articulating alternative ideas has historically entailed significant socio-political risks… leaving them more vulnerable in a world governed by the digital.” Under digital siege: How marginalised genders survive online stalking in India

“The moment an opinion divulges from the status quo, their personal identity becomes a weapon for character assassination.”

Have you seen this happen around you? #India

Read on @GenderITorg: genderit.org/feminist-tal...

#NoTechForWar #NarrativesOfPower @apc.org

An outlined illustration of three women photographed together, close to each other. Text: “We have experienced repression and harassment from the Hierarchical Church, from large landholders and from the government, who for decades accused our struggle of [being communist].”

Text with block patterns behind: “The bishop used mass services to question young people, telling the congregation that it was communism.” (in small text) This post has been adapted from an anthology by Women Human Rights Defenders by Safety For Voices.

#WHRDVoices: Graciela, a campesina woman deeply rooted to the land, writes about how disinformation campaigns existed before the internet, and its parallels with disinformation campaigns on the internet.

Read on #GenderITorg: genderit.org/Unyielding_A...

#SafetyForVoices #16Days @apc.org

Outlined illustration of a tunnel that has two figures at the end. Text: “For an hour, he pulled up photos of women activists with their full names and questioned our ideals, our motives, and the way we dressed and held ourselves.”

Partial depiction of an outlined illustration of a tunnel that has two figures at the end. Text:“Groups from in and out of the country would question our ideals, share and attack our posts from social media, and question our intentions in livestreams to thousands of followers.”

Patterns of the outlined illustration of a tunnel that has two figures at the end. Text:“While I tried to guard my own privacy, it was during these campaigns that my extended family came to know of my work. I was warned against doing what I wanted to do. It was unnecessary, they said, humiliating and beneath me.”

Outlined illustration of a tunnel that has two figures at the end. Text:“I was betraying my community. I was challenging God. An uncle pulled me aside and said, “Whatever you’re doing, I hope you know what you’re getting into. You’ll have to answer for your actions in hell one day.” (in small text) This post has been adapted from an anthology by Women Human Rights Defenders by Safety For Voices.

Coordinated disinformation campaigns use ethnicity and gender to target Muslim women in #SriLanka.

Fawzul Himaya on how “online safety” laws are often used against free speech, and how solidarity can guide us to a better world: genderit.org/Unyielding_A...

#WHRDVoices #16Days @apc.org

Feminist Learning Circle 5 Dec 13 - 14.30 UTC Your ex is not a hacker but you can be! with Martu and Amarelu <3 Main body text: How does spyware ACTUALLY get on a device? Small text: Can your partner or ex install stalkerware on your phone without you knowing about it?

If you consider yourself less tech-savvy than your partner, you might be downplaying your own abilities.

Learn how to use some diagnostic tools and interpret results at our #FeministLearningCircle, thanks to facilitators Amarelu and Martu! @apc.org #16Days

RSVP: limesurvey.apc.org/index.php/94...

@observelebanon.bsky.social @nhrclb.bsky.social

An outlined illustration of a woman with a tape over her mouth. Text: “I first became a target in 2016, during what would become one of the most polarising elections in Philippine history.” Peek into the brutal, blunt and unapologetically macho campaign of Rodrigo Duterte.

Patterns in the background. Text: “He would curse, openly harass women during his campaign trail, and he would proclaim to “kill, kill kill,” – which was met with cheering by his supporters.”

Patterns in the background. Text: Digital media was not used to educate or engage, but to silence and suppress. “When I publicly criticised his war on drugs platform and rhetoric, I quickly became a target of an online hate campaign.”

Patterns in the background. Text: Dismissive comments were plenty, but so were graphic rape threats, violent death threats, and photos of guns with captions. (in small text) This post has been adapted from an anthology by Women Human Rights Defenders by Safety For Voices.

“What I discovered was that pro-Duterte influencers regularly [turned] incivility into outright hate speech. And those posts were the most viral.

This wasn’t just my story — it was systemic [and] study proved it.” #16Days @apc.org

Renee Karunungan on #GenderIT: genderit.org/Unyielding_A...

On #WorldDisabilityDay, read about the human cost of RSF’s monopoly on Sudanese communications.

Aid groups, community kitchens and emergency response rooms struggle to deploy resources where they’re most needed. #NoTechForWar #16Days

Read @apc.org #GenderITorg: genderit.org/feminist-tal...

Feminist Learning Circle: 5 Dec, 13 - 14.30 UTC Your ex is not a hacker but you can be! with Martu and Amarelu You just broke up with your partner. He set up your devices and accounts when you were together. You feel unsure, worried and scared. Is it really that easy for an ex to hack your phone?

Do you believe your partner is tracking you? Do you feel unable to protect yourself effectively?

We're here for you. Figure out what is really happening with your devices at our #FeministLearningCircle! @apc.org

Get a quick crash course into Anti-Stalking 101: limesurvey.apc.org/index.php/94...

Outlined illustration of a woman speaking on a mic. Text: “I was only 21 when I learned the military government could be watching me even in my bedroom, not through a person but through my phone.”

Wavy patterns on the side. Text: “Female activists like me endured mockery of our appearance, sexually explicit photo edits, rape threats and death threats, all knowing these threats could materialise.”

Screenshot of a message on a phone with text as follows: ALERT: State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID. These attackers are likely targeting you individually because of who you are or what you do. If your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone. While it’s possible this is a false alarm, please take this warning seriously

Wavy patterns on the side. Text: “Writing this is my way of refusing to be erased. I want them to know: you did not win. I am still here. I have not stopped fighting. And I will continue for those who can’t.” — Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul Thai Human Rights Activist

Today, we remember the resilience of women human rights defenders #WHRDDay #16Days

This powerful piece captures the feeling of hopelessness and the resistance that lives unbroken in so many #WomenHumanRightsDefenders around the world.

Read: genderit.org/Unyielding_A... #WHRDVoices @apc.org

On a dark blue background are icons of low battery, computers, phones, and broken hearts. Text: Feminist Learning Circle 5 Dec 13 - 14.30 UTC Your ex is not a hacker, but you can be! With Martu and Amarelu <3 Take Back The Tech logo on the bottom left corner.

Is your phone at risk after a breakup?

If you feel helpless/anxious after a breakup — especially as a woman, trans or queer person facing digital violence... this #FeministLearningCircle is for you!

Use diagnostic tools + interpret results in real time: limesurvey.apc.org/index.php/94...

@apc.org

In spiky text bubbles: “Mujerzuela,” “Sayona,” “Loca,” and “Qué buena que estás” with social media icons around them. Text: “In politics, words are used to disqualify women’s capacities and devalue them as people in the eyes of the public.” Venezuela’s election processes display layered forms of violence combining gender, ethnicity, and political repression.

An illustration of a panopticon with light shining from it. Text: Female candidates received 60% more online attacks linked to their gender than male candidates in Venezuela’s 2023 opposition primaries. Source: ProBox and the C-Informa coalition

A partial illustration of a panopticon with light shining from it. Text: “This is something that has been taking place for years, with consistent reputational attacks that don’t happen in the case of men.” — Valentina Aguana Conexión Segura y Libre (Venezuelan digital rights organisation)

A partial illustration of a panopticon with light shining from it. Text: This constant barrage of targeted attacks — both sexualised and dehumanising — seeks to discredit women’s intellectual and political capacities as well as erode their legitimacy as public figures. (in small text) This post has been adapted from a collection on militarisation and technology by Safety For Voices.

Laura Vidal dissects repression & resistance in #Venezuela.

Media, technology + legislation are weaponised to carry out mass surveillance, criminalise dissent, and restrict news — yet, #WomenHumanRightsDefenders lead via creative ways to resist.

Read: genderit.org/feminist-tal...

@apc.org #16Days

Illustration of a group of women looking at their phones together. Text: 1,428 acts of aggression Against land defenders In the last 5 years.

Women human rights defenders working on indigenous ownership of land and territories against extractivist governments and corporations face higher risks & dangers in their everyday life.

Digital security becomes an urgent need that all defenders + communicators must prioritise. @apc.org #16Days

Illustration of two figures having a conversation. One says: Bye bye gender ideology. The other, while looking at their phone, says: Western propaganda. Text: In August 2022, amidst political unrest and a worsening cost-of-living crisis, Pakistani influencers launched an anti-trans moral panic.

An illustration of a group of people in a pro-trans protest while a large hand with a hammer comes down on them. Text: In Pakistan, influencers targeted the centuries-old Khawaja Sira community (historically referred to as hijra), accusing them of being a foreign import despite their deep roots in South Asian history and spiritual traditions.

An illustration of a group of people in a pro-trans protest. Text: Mehloob*, a trans woman who spent nearly a decade as a trans rights defender, carefully maintained a low profile. Online hate grew, and anti-trans targeted anyone whose appearance or voice didn’t match idealised gender norms.

An illustration of a group of people in a pro-trans protest. Text: In an increasingly hostile digital environment where platforms prioritise engagement over safety, coordinated attacks cannot be curbed — leaving activists vulnerable. Self-doubt, doxxing, deep fakes, harassment and physical harm become consequences. (in small text) This post has been adapted from a collection on militarisation and technology by Safety For Voices.

Gendered weapons in an information war look like…

➡️ Self-censorship after after observing fellow trans women being villainised and fetishised online

➡️ Blackmail after creating fake profiles through stolen and leaked media.

...and much more. Read: genderit.org/feminist-tal...

@apc.org #16Days

Illustration of a pair of canvas shoes with flowers blooming out of it. Text: On one of the days of continuous protests in a suburban area of Yangon[...] two military trucks entered recklessly while I was singing the protest song and leading the chants.

Illustration of flowers. Text: I had never gotten hit by this kind of fear before. I asked myself, “What am I afraid of?” I was scared of getting caught by the soldiers for sure. At the same time, I felt anger.

Illustration of flowers. Text: bell hooks said: Fear is the primary force upholding structures of domination. It promotes the desire for separation, the desire not to be known. When we choose to love we choose to move against fear – against alienation and separation. The choice to love is a choice to connect – to find ourselves in the other.

Illustration of flowers. Text: When someone asks me now what my biggest fear is, I answer “losing freedom” as an individual and as a collective group of people. I believe the first stage of freedom from fear is to notice and accept its existence. From there, we can find ways to overcome and be healed from its wounds. (in small text) This post has been adapted from an anthology by Women Human Rights Defenders by Safety For Voices.

Ma Bee is a #WHRD from #Myanmar, a feminist researcher and founder/editor of Myit Ye See Than Magazine.

Read about the transformative potential of fear as a reflective tool — for ourselves and our communities.

#WHRDVoices for #16Days — supported by #SafetyForVoices!

@apc.org #TakeBackTechJoy

Illustration of a woman working on a computer. In the background are windows opening up to a warscape. Text: “What we saw during the last war, particularly the escalation, was that there were warning signs for people who work on documenting violence, that if you’re documenting what’s going on in the ground, you may become a target.” — Ramzi Kaiss, a researcher with Human Rights Watch (on the war in Lebanon)

Illustration of a window opening up to a warscape. Text: Kaiss has been a part of multiple HRW investigations documenting Israel’s targeted technology-driven location attacks on media and aid workers in Lebanon in the last 15 months, including the one that killed Najjar, Reda and Qassem last October. Israel has consistently denied HRW’s investigations, calling them false.

Illustration of a window opening up to a warscape. Text: Women media workers in Lebanon have historically faced discrimination and harassment within close quarters, especially the Lebanese political parties. The recent past has seen Lebanese women journalists being compelled to flee the country, or being imprisoned for their work.

“In a country like Lebanon, where, already in peace times, there exists discriminatory laws against women, especially ones that don’t protect them from physical and sexual abuse, reporting on war becomes even more challenging for women.” This post has been adapted from a collection on militarisation and technology by Safety For Voices.

Women journalists and human rights defenders working in Lebanese frontlines face higher risks of cyber violence.

“The idea [behind repression] is to silence journalists [and] stop reporting on violations [or]corruption.” #NoTechForWar

Read on GenderITorg: genderit.org/feminist-tal...

@apc.org

Image of a woman cycling. Text: How Ayesha’s cycling group in Pakistan started with a bike commute… and a Facebook post! More than 50 girls signed up within the first hour, but nobody had a bike.

Partial image of a woman cycling. Text: In her city, biking — even though therapeutic — wasn’t a safe activity for women. So even though there was interest, women didn’t own bikes. “If you get the bikes, would you be interested in running a girls’ cycling group?”

Hand-drawn element of a cycling route and a cycle. Text: That’s how the first-ever girls cycling club in Karachi was born: "Ride, Roll, Lead” What started with two cycles turned into 10 cycles within a month.

Image of a woman cycling. Text: “Cycling, when done in a community, becomes more than just movement. It's an act of resistance, existence, visibility, and a source of joy amidst all life’s problems.” (in small text) This post has been adapted from an anthology by Women Human Rights Defenders by Safety For Voices.

#RideRollLead is not just a group, it's a sanctuary where women feel seen, uplifted and empowered. #Pakistani women meet and find community on rides.

#WHRDVoices: Reclaiming public spaces through incredible acts of resilience and mutual aid brings us so much joy! #16Days #TakeBackTechJoy @apc.org

Hi #BluSky!

Are you a woman or queer person (or support vulnerable communities) in tech? Do you want to see #tech back in the hands of the collective? Frustrated with #BigTech's lack of accountability?

We want to know you! Drop your intro & follow us ❤️

#NoTechForWar: Networking resistance to #TakeBackTechJoy for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence 2025 The realities that WHRDs face in their local contexts are increasingly shaped by global politics of war and technologies that enable genocide, whether deployed by governments, corporations, or other p...

It matters now, more than ever, to secure civic participation of women human rights defenders #WHRDs

@takebackthetech.bsky.social 👇

www.apc.org/en/news/note...

#NoTechForWar #TechBackTechJoy #16Days