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Types of Cyberviolence

  • Jude S. Elsadi, Yasmin Samantar, Maria Alejandra Paez Zayas
  • 7 days ago
  • 3 min read

Updated: 7 days ago

Cyberviolence is defined as “any act that is committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified by the use of information communication technologies or other digital tools, that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm, or other infringements of rights and freedoms” by UN Women. There are several forms of cyberviolence, all of which have harmful effects on their victims, including mental health issues, confidence issues, and more. Additionally, most of these methods disproportionately affect women more often than they affect men, or involve varying perceptions of victims depending on their gender. 


Online harassment consists of unwanted, repeated, targeted messages from an offender that are intended to be malicious or intimidating. Women and girls face cyber harassment at a disproportionate rate, with one in four women in the U.S. facing online harassment (National Organization for Women, 2025). 


Doxxing is the act of publishing a victim’s private information without consent with the intent to harm the victim. Private information can include their home address, phone number, or even financial information, such as bank account details and/or social security numbers. Fifty-five percent of women have reported experiencing doxxing, according to the Office of Prevention of Domestic Violence. 


Cyberstalking is the act of persistent and unwanted surveillance of a victim’s online activity and even physical movements through digital trackers or by monitoring posts that include locations. Such surveillance often results in the perpetrator becoming increasingly violent due to rejection, and this violence may come in the form of threats or other types of cyberviolence. 


Deepfake abuse occurs when an offender uses artificial intelligence to create fake images, audio, or videos of a person that they did not consent to be made. Deep learning is a technique that utilizes the same technology as Photoshop apps to manipulate photos and videos. According to DeepTrace Labs, Ninety-six percent of fake videos are pictures of women being used to create sexual fantasy deepfakes (Nelson 2020). There were about 500,000 deepfakes on social media in 2023 alone. These attackers can use fake photos or videos to impersonate victims through social media, email, video calls, or voice messages. Victims of deepfakes may face anxiety, depression, PTSD, loss of autonomy, violation of privacy, and trust issues in response to deepfake attacks.


Hate speech and threats are another form of cyber violence that includes racist, misogynistic, or homophobic content and speech intended to provoke the victim or incite fear. The primary location of misogynistic content that “seeps [s] into mainstream culture, [and] shapes attitudes” is called the manosphere (UN Women 2025).


Cyberviolence is a serious issue that affects women and minority groups disproportionately. The Digital Justice Initiative works to shed light on this issue and believes that the first step towards combating cyberviolence is to speak about it and spread awareness. Cyberviolence mustn't be kept hidden, as its effects are harmful, especially to people who face it alone. Bringing attention to the issue will lead to solutions through means such as legislation or accountability.



Works Cited

Nelson, S., & Simek, J. (2020). 96 Percent of Deepfake Videos Are Women Engaged in Sexual Acts. Vsb.org.

One in Four American Women Face Online Harassment. 69% of Women Believe Current Laws to ProtectThem Are Insufficient - National Organization for Women.

UN Women. (2025, February 10). FAQs: Digital abuse, trolling, stalking, and other forms of technology-facilitated violence against women | UN Women – Headquarters. UN Women – Headquarters.

facilitated-violence-against-women


 
 
 

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