Conclusion

Around the world, cases of online abuse and harassment against marginalized and vulnerable groups are becoming more prevalent. These negative online experiences significantly influence how these individuals and groups navigate the digital space and they can have deleterious impacts on their mental health and ability to exercise basic rights such as free speech and free expression. The inclusion of digital safety tools, mechanisms and resources in the broader digital security landscape is therefore vital, as this will enable the digital space to become an equitable and secure environment.

As outlined in this report, the digital safety challenges that women, youth and racial and ethnic minorities face are similar in many ways. However, many of these communities do not regularly engage with one another to share experiences and best practices related to protecting themselves from digital safety threats. This is an area in which we hope to see future progress and work. In addition, this report highlights a number of approaches that the private and public sectors can employ to meaningfully augment the digital safety of these communities, while also respecting the First Amendment and right to free expression. We hope the recommendations outlined in this report will serve as a valuable guide for these actors going forward.