A couple of months ago, an Indian woman named Hana Khan woke up to shocking news. Hana had discovered that her pictures were being circulated on an app that auctioned women online. Soon after, the app was taken down and no one was punished for it and that ended the case, until recently when another similar app popped up.
Although Hana didn’t feature in the new app, other notable Indian Muslim women who were activists, lawyers, etc including famous activist Malala Yousafzai. The app, Bulli Bai is named after a common Indian slur for Muslim women and it intentionally portrayed these reputable women as slaves and maids.
Thankfully, the app has been taken down and a couple of suspects were arrested by the police to this effect. This is another way that technology is being used to bully, harass women on the internet. The reality is that these auctions are an example of targeted abuse, and it inadvertently sets these women up for harassment and abuse, both on the internet and in real life.
Hana recounts her experience when she first saw the app saying, “When I saw my picture on the app, my world shook. I was upset and angry that someone could do this to me, and I became angrier as I realized this nameless person was getting away with it.”
The police have reassured that they are on the case, and are investigating the motives behind the app as well. Sadly, this is the reality of women living in this era of technological advancement.
As much as technology and the internet have positively influenced the lives of women and their experiences, it is impossible to ignore that it has also set women up, with higher chances of all forms of harassment, abuse, and violence.
For example, there are so many apps that are constantly used to create pornography, by stripping off women’s clothes in videos and pictures or even editing and manipulating their faces into pornographic content.
It is 2022, and almost everyone has an internet-enabled phone, even kids. Yet, there is still little documentation or regulations to combat online abuse against women.
The CEO of EndTab, a US-based non-profit organization trying to combat technological-enabled abuse says, “The violence has become easier to perpetrate, as you can get at somebody anywhere in the world. The order of magnitude of harm is also greater because you can upload something and show it to the world in a matter of seconds.”
The internet has so much power, perhaps too much power. The fact that once a video or picture surfaces online, it is impossible to retract the content fully is highly detrimental. It is scary that a stranger can just download pictures, videos of women online, catfish them, and put them up for sale.
There is a huge need for technological platforms to ensure that there are strict regulations for app creations because we must ensure that everyone is protected on the internet.
While the women who were victims of this online harassment are still living in fear and shame, prosecution of the perpetrators of this targeted harassment will be prosecuted soon. Hopefully, this serves as a deterrent and instigates conversations about the rights, safety, and privacy of women on the interweb.
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