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- Sep 22, 2024
Gender-based digital transnational repression as a global authoritarian practice
Digital transnational repression arises when authoritarian states seek to silence dissent from nationals living abroad. Studies on digital transnational repression show that this extension of authoritarianism has negatively impacted dissidents and activists abroad and transnational political and social advocacy. In this article, we identify gender-based digital transnational repression as a form of what Marlies Glasius terms an ‘authoritarian practice’; this type of repression is used to ‘sabotage accountability’ by weaponizing gender to silence dissent and disabling access to information. We argue that researchers investigating transnational repression should pay greater attention to the gender dimensions of this phenomenon, and its unique and disproportionate impacts on women. As women play a central role in the furtherance of human rights and democracy in authoritarian states, their silencing presents a threat to progress towards state accountability, human rights, and democracy.
The article explores the concept of "gender-based digital transnational repression" , a targeted form of online harassment aimed at women in exile or the diaspora.
It highlights cases such as Vicky Xu and Jiayang Fan, who faced sexist, racist, and misogynistic attacks linked to pro-CCP networks. The article identifies how digital repression is used to discredit women, focusing on their appearance or sexuality rather than their ideas, leading to serious effects like self-censorship, fear, and isolation.
It further situates this harassment within the framework of "authoritarian practices", emphasizing how states use digital platforms to silence women activists, journalists, and human rights defenders. While digital transnational repression has been studied in general, the gendered dimension has largely been overlooked. The article calls for further examination, noting that the intersection of gender and authoritarianism leads to unique harms, such as exacerbated isolation for immigrant and refugee women.
The article links technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) with state-sponsored online attacks, emphasizing that these forms of repression aim to undermine accountability by silencing women's voices in the digital sphere. Through over 80 interviews conducted between 2022 and 2024, the article introduces gendered digital repression as a tool to marginalize women and prevent them from participating in political advocacy, thereby sabotaging potential state accountability.
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