Researchers say “gendered misinformation,” which is when sexism and misogyny intersect with online falsehoods, has relentlessly targeted women around the world, tarnishing their reputations, undermining their credibility, and in many cases, upending careers.
AFP’s global factcheckers have debunked falsehoods targeting politically active women, or those linked to prominent politicians, exposing online campaigns that feature fake information or manipulated images that are often sexually charged.
Last year, a fake image of Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska, lying topless on a beach in Israel, was shared widely on Facebook, triggering criticism that she was having fun while her war-torn country was suffering. A reverse image search showed the woman in the photo was, in fact, a Russian television presenter.
Former American first lady Michelle Obama and current French first lady Brigitte Macron have also been targeted in false online posts that claimed they were born as men. The disinformation sparked an avalanche of mockery and transphobic remarks.
Closer to home, a popular target of numerous false online posts would be former Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo, who has been baselessly alleged to be a communist sympathizer, a drug lord, and engaged in an extramarital affair, among many other rumors spread on social media.
“Women – especially those in positions of power and visibility, are unduly targeted by online disinformation,” Maria Giovanna Sessa, a senior researcher at the nonprofit EU DisinfoLab, wrote in a report last year.
The disinformation often leads to “political violence, hate, and the deterring of young women from considering a political career,” said the study titled “monetizing misogyny.”
In disinformation tactics typically deployed by political opponents, females are sometimes framed as inherently undependable, too emotional or promiscuous to hold office. It can also be used to subdue the opposition.
Such humiliating falsehoods, researchers say, can have a silencing effect on women, who are drawn to disengage, censor themselves, and even avoid male-dominated professions, including politics.
Facebook has acknowledged that online abuse of women was a “serious problem” and pledged to work with policymakers on their concerns.
Attacks against women online are expected to continue, even with the intervention of social media companies and government. However, if government commits to stopping this phenomenon, we may have a chance at being able to contain and perhaps even eradicate it. Whether or not it actually happens will depends on the people who can push positive change.*
