How women can protect themselves from online threats: tips

In 2021, American media expert and disinformation researcher Nina Yankovic published a book entitled “How to Be a Woman Online: Surviving Abuse and Harassment, and How to Fight Back, 2021 ).

In her work, the author shared her own experience of combating bullying in the physical and online space.

As a researcher of Ukrainian origin, she debunked myths about the so-called “color revolutions”, which are allegedly coordinated from the outside.

On the eve of the 2020 American presidential elections, she refuted the conspiracy theory that the United States is planning another “color revolution” and distorting the election results. As a result, Nina Yankovic became the object of attacks by conspiracy theorists and coordinated troll networks. The researcher described all this, as well as how trolls attack women politicians in other countries, in her book.

Conspiracy theorists and internet trolls aren’t the only ones trying to demean women in the digital space. In Ukraine, scandals repeatedly erupt when men with dubious reputations show maximum disrespect for women.

For example, in January 2024, interviewer Alina Dorotyuk and rapper Alyona Alyona became the targets of attacks by two men – presenters of the Iceland channel, blogger Serhiy Ivanov and political technologist Volodymyr Petrov. The latter openly used insults and humiliation when discussing the appearance of both women.

Alina Dorotyuk named this incident “the legalization of shaming women”, while Alyona Alyona expressed the desire that all people should direct their attention to real assistance to the state, society and the Armed Forces, and not to misogyny in the 21st century.

Disrespect for women indicates that a part of Ukrainian society is still unable to accept the universal values ​​of human rights, equality and respect for others.

The subject of harassment and sexism towards women does not escape the teachers of educational institutions either. One such anti-example is a professor Kyiv National University named after Taras Shevchenko, Nikita Vasylenko. This is not the first time university students blamed him in sexism for his public comments on Facebook. In February 2024, the university management did not react properly, only reprimanding the professor, while the students demanded that the professor be fired.

An equally well-known symbol of sexism in Ukraine is the “singing rector” Mykhailo Poplavskyi, who in his TikTok videos waves wads of money, saying that rich men don’t grow old.

Authors of the website of the campaign against sexism “Respect” claimthat such men as Poplavsky are able to flaunt their impunity and defiantly demonstrate their status as so-called “sweet daddies” – men who support young girls in exchange for sexual relations with them.

The situation with impunity in Ukraine for public figures is gradually changing due to public pressure and publicity from the media. However, the situation for women is more complicated when they are attacked by anonymous attackers on the Internet, as was the case with Nina Yankovic. What should women do today in the digital space to protect themselves?

The tips below are universal and do not take into account the life situation of each individual woman who can be attacked by unknown people. Accordingly, the proposed steps are able to reduce risks, but are not a simple answer to all complex questions:

Compromising content

• Be careful about creating any compromising content, even with your long-term partner. The phenomenon of “cyber revenge” is known in many countries. Former partners are able to blackmail compromising photos or videos by posting this content online.
• Avoid saving compromising content (nude photos, videos) on your devices. If you lose your device, this sensitive content is likely to end up in the wrong hands.
• If compromising content about you has been published online, use the “right to be forgotten” or Google’s removal of sensitive content. There is a special form for this.

Secure communication

• Avoid using regular telephone communication to transmit sensitive information, as it may be intercepted.
• Use “voice” messages via Signal or Whatsapp messengers, which are difficult for attackers to hack.
• Make “harder” privacy settings in social networks and on your smartphone. In particular, you can set restrictions on receiving any “unacceptable content” from other users.

Personal data online

• Check what information about you can be found on the Internet (mobile number, mailbox, residential address, passport data). Try to fill the Internet with mentions of you, for example through blogging, so that sensitive data about you “drown” among other search results.
• Get a separate mobile number only for special contacts and services, for example, banking. This will reduce the risk that fraudsters will learn your number from the Internet and try to hack your accounts, knowing your mobile number.

Device security

• You will not lose access to your account in social networks or mail if you set up additional verification of your identity when logging into the account. This is called two-factor authentication (2FA). It is best to configure it using a third-party application – Authy, Duo Mobile, Google Authenticator.
• To make it harder for your number to be intercepted, tie your SIM card to your passport. Also set a complex unlock code for your SIM card and your device – “0000” or “1234” combinations are easy – don’t use them.
• If your device supports biometrics, such as fingerprints or face scans, use them in public places to prevent criminals from seeing your smartphone’s unlock code
• Enable the remote control option for your device. This will help you locate the device and, if necessary, erase all data from it. It is important to configure this tool in advance.

If your online peace is disturbed, or you want to better protect yourself, contact the digital security experts at Nadiyno. Online open for free consultations every day from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and weekends from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The request can be sent via chat on the site, email, Telegram or Signal.

The Nadiyno team, the Digital Security Hotline, specifically for UA. Life

Publications in the “View” section are not editorial articles and reflect exclusively the author’s point of view.