Context

• The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and social media platforms has introduced a new frontier for political campaigns, public discourse, and online harassment.
• As technology develops, so does its impact on the lives and careers of public figures, particularly women in politics.
• Therefore, it becomes imperative to examine the complex intersection of AI, social media, and gender, highlighting the challenges faced by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and other women leaders worldwide.
  

Digital Attacks on Kamala Harris’s Campaign and Global Pattern of Harassment for Women Leaders

• Digital Attacks on Kamala Harris’s Campaign
  • After U.S. President Joe Biden endorsed Kamala Harris as the 2024 Democratic Party nominee, Harris quickly gained high-profile supporters, such as former President Barack Obama.
  • However, her candidacy ignited an intense wave of online attacks and debates, magnified by AI-generated disinformation and deepfakes that questioned her competence and character.
  • In one notable instance, a manipulated video featuring Harris’s cloned voice circulated widely, falsely attributing statements to her, such as calling Biden senile and labelling herself an ultimate diversity hire.
• Global Pattern of Harassment for Women Leaders
  • The challenges Harris faces are not unique to her; they reflect a global pattern.
  • For instance, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Bangladeshi politicians Rumin Farhana and Nipun Roy have also faced similar harassment
  • Deepfakes and other AI-generated explicit content have increasingly targeted women in politics.
  • This underscores a disturbing global trend of using digital tools to attack women’s dignity, invade their privacy, and hinder their professional lives.
  • This recurring pattern highlights the broader question of why social media platforms allow such content to spread unchecked.

A Detailed Analysis of the Paradox Role of Big Tech, Their Responsibility and Regulatory Gaps and Implications

• The Paradox Role of Big Tech
  • The proliferation of deepfakes and offensive content reveals a severe lack of accountability within Big Tech companies.
  • They often claim limited control over user-generated content under safe harbour protections.
  • Technology, often seen as empowering for women, paradoxically amplifies existing biases and reinforces stereotypes, sometimes creating entirely new ways to marginalise and harass women.
  • As a result, women in public roles face increased digital abuse and threats, which may deter them from political and professional participation.
• Big Tech’s Responsibility and Regulatory Gaps
  • While digital platforms are profitable due to high user engagement, they have invested insufficiently in content moderation and safety features.
  • Instead of leaving the responsibility to users, tech companies should enhance moderation systems and provide faster responses to flagged content.
  • Moreover, Big Tech should be legally compelled to label AI-generated content or, in severe cases, remove it altogether to prevent harm.
  • The growing influence of tech magnates, such as Elon Musk, on public perception further complicates the issue.
  • Their personal biases can sway millions of users who may struggle to distinguish between real and fake content.
• Implications of Big Tech’s Failure to Curb Degrading Content
  • Big Tech’s failure to curb the deluge of degrading content against women results in a disproportionate burden being imposed on women, impacting their identity, dignity, and mental well-being.
  • The nature of online abuse women face is also starkly different from the trolling or insults directed at men.
  • While men may encounter misinformation and disinformation regarding their actions or duties, women face objectification, sexually explicit content, and body shaming.

Necessary Policy Reforms for Online Safety of Women and to Fix the Big Tech’s Accountability

• Regulating AI-Driven Content and Deepfakes
  • One of the most pressing areas for reform is the regulation of AI-generated content, including deepfakes.
  • As AI technology becomes more accessible, so too does the capacity to produce hyper-realistic fake videos and audio that can deceive viewers.
  • Deepfakes targeting women politicians, such as those experienced by Kamala Harris, Giorgia Meloni, and Nikki Haley, illustrate the potential for AI to be weaponised against individuals based on their gender and public visibility.
  • Regulatory bodies should consider requiring social media platforms to implement stricter measures to identify, label, and, when necessary, remove AI-generated content.
• Strengthening Content Moderation Policies and Transparency
  • Content moderation lies at the heart of creating a safer digital environment, yet current moderation practices often fall short of addressing gender-based harassment effectively.
  • Policy reform should require platforms to adopt comprehensive, proactive content moderation policies tailored to address the unique forms of abuse that women frequently encounter.
  • For instance, unlike general misinformation campaigns, gendered harassment often focuses on the personal lives, appearances, and identities of women.
  • Policies should define and address this type of abuse explicitly, ensuring that moderators are trained to understand and respond to gendered language and images that might otherwise evade detection.
• Legal Protections for Victims of Digital Harassment
  • To empower victims and provide recourse, governments should consider strengthening legal protections and expanding the definition of online harassment.
  • For example, clear legal definitions of gendered cyber harassment could help victims in cases that involve misogynistic or sexualized abuse.
  • Currently, many legal systems have limited or outdated frameworks that fail to address the complexities of digital harassment, especially where AI-driven content is concerned.
  • Legislation that recognises the unique impacts of online abuse on women and other marginalised groups would give victims the tools to seek legal recourse, while also providing a basis for holding social media companies accountable for their role in perpetuating harm.
• Imposing Penalties for Non-Compliance
  • Policy reform should include enforceable penalties for social media platforms that fail to prevent or respond adequately to gender-based harassment and disinformation.
  • Currently, many platforms avoid stringent measures due to a lack of consequences; however, implementing meaningful fines and sanctions could incentivise these companies to invest more seriously in moderation technologies and user safety measures.
  • Financial penalties could be scaled based on the severity and frequency of non-compliance, while repeat offenders could face more significant repercussions, such as temporary suspensions of service within certain jurisdictions.
• Promoting Diversity in Tech and Addressing Systemic Bias
  • A core issue with online harassment lies in the design and development of the algorithms that detect and moderate harmful content.
  • Algorithms are often trained on data sets that reflect existing societal biases, and when these biases are unaddressed, they become embedded in the technology itself.
  • For example, platforms may overlook or under-prioritise language and imagery that targets women in sexist or misogynistic ways because the developers may not have accounted for gender-specific abuse patterns.
  • Encouraging diversity within the tech workforce, especially among AI developers, data scientists, and policy advisors, could lead to more inclusive content moderation practices that are sensitive to gendered abuse.
  • To support this, governments and tech companies could introduce policies or incentives aimed at hiring and retaining women and other underrepresented groups in the technology sector.

Conclusion

• The digital age presents both opportunities and challenges for women in politics. As AI and social media continue to evolve, so does the potential for abuse.
• The targeted harassment of Kamala Harris and other women leaders exemplifies the urgent need for Big Tech accountability, inclusive AI development, and robust policy reform.
• Ensuring that online platforms are safe and equitable for all requires a combined effort from tech companies, governments, and civil society, reinforcing that the responsibility of gender equity in digital spaces belongs to everyone.