Still unsafe: what’s holding us back on online safety for women

workshop, held at the ACM Web Conference, which convened researchers and practitioners from computer science, law, social sciences, and civil society to examine the systemic drivers of OVAW. Through participatory methods and thematic analysis, we identify two interrelated challenges: (1) systemic failures in platform governance and public regulation that undermine accountability, and (2) socio-technical dynamics that normalise misogyny and discourage bystander intervention. Our analysis highlights how profit-driven platform incentives, algorithmic optimisation, early socialisation into harmful norms, and the persistent shifting of responsibility onto victims interact to sustain OVAW. The paper articulates a set of recommendations that emerged through convergence across disciplinary perspectives. These recommendations are significant because they reflect shared priorities across fields that typically approach the problem from divergent epistemic standpoints. We argue that such cross-disciplinary consensus identifies actionable intervention points, including: protection-by-design approaches, early educational and social interventions, and sustained cross-disciplinary and cross-sector collaboration. Addressing OVAW requires an ethical re-evaluation of algorithmic governance that moves beyond isolated technical, legal, or cultural fixes toward a coordinated socio-technical framework.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
AI and Ethics
Published
2026-04-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-026-01097-0
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Stalking, Cyberstalking, and Harassment
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
47.14

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Still unsafe: what’s holding us back on online safety for women

Debora Nozza, Ángel Pavón Pérez, Olga Jurasz, Christine de Kock et al.
1 citations
AI and Ethics
Stalking, Cyberstalking, and Harassment
47.14
article

Still unsafe: what’s holding us back on online safety for women

Debora Nozza, Ángel Pavón Pérez, Olga Jurasz, Christine de Kock, Miriam Fernandez, Tracie Farrell
article en
1 citations

Abstract

workshop, held at the ACM Web Conference, which convened researchers and practitioners from computer science, law, social sciences, and civil society to examine the systemic drivers of OVAW. Through participatory methods and thematic analysis, we identify two interrelated challenges: (1) systemic failures in platform governance and public regulation that undermine accountability, and (2) socio-technical dynamics that normalise misogyny and discourage bystander intervention. Our analysis highlights how profit-driven platform incentives, algorithmic optimisation, early socialisation into harmful norms, and the persistent shifting of responsibility onto victims interact to sustain OVAW. The paper articulates a set of recommendations that emerged through convergence across disciplinary perspectives. These recommendations are significant because they reflect shared priorities across fields that typically approach the problem from divergent epistemic standpoints. We argue that such cross-disciplinary consensus identifies actionable intervention points, including: protection-by-design approaches, early educational and social interventions, and sustained cross-disciplinary and cross-sector collaboration. Addressing OVAW requires an ethical re-evaluation of algorithmic governance that moves beyond isolated technical, legal, or cultural fixes toward a coordinated socio-technical framework.

AI and EthicsVol. 6(2)
The University of Melbourne (AU), The Open University (GB), Bocconi University (IT)
UK Research and Innovation, European Commission, Research England, HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council
Gender equality
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Stalking, Cyberstalking, and Harassment
47.14
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.