The White House’s Response to Online Harassments and Abuse

Last week, President Biden created a new task force aimed at addressing online harassment and abuse. As many victim services organizations know all too well, these harms come with enormous costs and the effects are far-reaching. For all its wonders and benefits, the internet has also become a place inflamed by hateful comments, misogyny, and downright abuse.

Online Harassment and Abuse

What will this task force do?

The task force’s objective is clear – to strengthen the federal response to threats online, especially those facilitating gender-based violence. Working with survivors and experts, they plan to create recommendations intended to prevent, respond to, and protect programs and policies on a global scale.

The responsibilities of this task force will include:

  • Better coordinate efforts in the government sector and improve its effectiveness
  • Draft policies to increase accountability for perpetrators
  • Expand data collection standards for all federal government entities
  • Improve research standards to accurately determine costs, prevalence, exposure to, and impact of technology-facilitated gender-based violence
  • Expand access to services for survivors and offer additional resources in the form of information and support
  • Scrutinize existing laws to find weak spots and strengthen as needed

Additionally, the White House will be exercising more specific actions such as:

  • Advancing Technology to Assist Victims of Crime Program
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline Survivor Survey
  • Research from the National Threat Assessment Center
  • Research on Access to Services for Survivors of Cyberstalking
  • Expanded Focus on Technological Abuse in the Reauthorized Violence Against Women Act
  • New Report on the Online Harassment of Women Political Figures
  • Expansion of the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse

To read the full fact sheet, click here.

 

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