Misogynistic Pathways to Radicalisation: Recommended Measures for Platforms to Assess and Mitigate Online Gender-Based Violence

The report examines online gender-based violence (OGBV) as part of a continuum of violence that links misogyny to various extremist ideologies, including far-right and Islamist extremism. It argues that platforms often exacerbate these risks through engagement-based algorithmic ranking and inadequate content moderation. To counter this, the author recommends that platforms provide vetted researchers with API access, implement gender-disaggregated transparency reporting, adopt victim-survivor-centred 'Safety by Design' principles, and enhance cross-platform cooperation to track perpetrators and coordinated harassment campaigns.

• Misogyny serves as an ideological link and a vector across diverse extremist ideologies, including far-right and Islamist groups, where it often manifests as the imposition of patriarchal gender roles and hierarchies.
• Online gender-based violence (OGBV) is part of a continuum of violence where digital attacks can fuel offline violence, and offline abuse by prominent figures can trigger online 'pile-ons'.
• Platform design, specifically engagement-based ranking, risks creating a 'gravitation' toward borderline content, which can amplify the visibility of misogynistic content and abusive hashtags.
• There are significant gaps in platform policy and enforcement; for example, no reviewed platforms explicitly address gendered or sexualised mis- and disinformation, and Telegram is noted for having particularly lax policies regarding hate speech and doxing.
• OGBV has severe micro-level impacts, including psychological trauma and PTSD, and macro-level impacts, such as a 'chilling effect' that discourages women and LGBTQ+ people from participating in public life, politics, and journalism.
• AI-based content moderation tools, such as Google's Perspective API, may struggle with social context, sometimes scoring LGBTQ+ speech as more 'toxic' than white nationalist content.
• The report recommends that platforms enable real-time, searchable API access for vetted interdisciplinary researchers to study the links between online misogyny and radicalisation pathways.
• Platforms should implement gender-disaggregated transparency reporting and standardised metrics to allow for the tracking of hate speech violations based on gender and intersecting characteristics.
• A 'Safety and Privacy by Design' approach is recommended, incorporating proactive tools (like content filters), reactive tools (like bulk reporting), and accountability measures (like escalating penalties).
• Cross-platform cooperation is essential because harassment campaigns are often coordinated on one platform and executed across others; existing protocols like the Christchurch Call should adapt their scope to include OGBV.

APA

Bundtzen, S., & Schwertheim, H. (2023). Misogynistic Pathways to Radicalisation: Recommended Measures for Platforms to Assess and Mitigate Online Gender-Based Violence. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Misogynistic-Pathways-to-Radicalisation-Recommended-Measures-for-Platforms-to-Assess-and-Mitigate-Online-Gender-Based-Violence.pdf

Chicago

Bundtzen, Sara, and Helena Schwertheim. Misogynistic Pathways to Radicalisation: Recommended Measures for Platforms to Assess and Mitigate Online Gender-Based Violence. Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Misogynistic-Pathways-to-Radicalisation-Recommended-Measures-for-Platforms-to-Assess-and-Mitigate-Online-Gender-Based-Violence.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bundtzen |first1=Sara |last2=Schwertheim |first2=Helena |title=Misogynistic Pathways to Radicalisation: Recommended Measures for Platforms to Assess and Mitigate Online Gender-Based Violence |publisher=Institute for Strategic Dialogue |date=2023 |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Misogynistic-Pathways-to-Radicalisation-Recommended-Measures-for-Platforms-to-Assess-and-Mitigate-Online-Gender-Based-Violence.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bundtzen2023misogynistic, author = {Bundtzen, Sara and Schwertheim, Helena}, title = {{Misogynistic Pathways to Radicalisation: Recommended Measures for Platforms to Assess and Mitigate Online Gender-Based Violence}}, institution = {Institute for Strategic Dialogue}, year = {2023}, url = {https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Misogynistic-Pathways-to-Radicalisation-Recommended-Measures-for-Platforms-to-Assess-and-Mitigate-Online-Gender-Based-Violence.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }