Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook
Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google
Shou Zi Chew, CEO, TikTok
Jack Dorsey, CEO, Twitter
We write to you to ask that you urgently prioritise the safety of women on your platforms.
Today at the Generation Equality Forum in Paris, world leaders come together to agree on a plan to advance women’s rights — the most important gathering of its kind in 25 years. This is a historic opportunity for you, the CEOs of some of the world’s most powerful tech platforms, to tackle one of the biggest barriers to gender equality: the pandemic of online abuse against women and girls.
The commitments you make today should be seen as a promise to women and girls around the world that you will decisively deal with the abuse that they are subject to on your plat forms.
The scale of the problem is huge: 38% of women globally have directly experienced online abuse. This figure rises to 45% for Gen Zs and Millennials. For women of colour, for Black women in particular, for women from the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalised groups — the abuse is often far worse. The consequences can be devastating.
The internet is the town square of the 21st century. It is where debate takes place, commu nities are built, products are sold and reputations are made. But the scale of online abuse means that, for too many women, these digital town squares are unsafe. This is a threat to progress on gender equality.
A huge volume of this abuse takes place on social media platforms — and its reach is global. Your decisions shape the way billions of people experience life online. With your incredible financial resources and engineering might, you have the unique capability and responsibility to ensure your platforms prevent, rather than fuel, this abuse.
No quick-fix will cure the problem, but there are many avenues to make significant progress. For over a year, you have engaged with civil society and government experts from over 35 countries to tackle online abuse. This has been an important step forward, demonstrating the power of co-creating solutions informed by a wide range of partners, including women who have directly experienced abuse.
Now it is vital to put into action two priorities women have said are critical for their safety — more control of their experiences on your platforms, and better reporting systems:
Give people greater control to manage their safety. Rather than a one-size-fits-all experi ence, women should have more control over who can interact with them on tech platforms, as well as more choice over what, when and how they see content online. These tools should be easy to find and simple to use.
Improve your systems for reporting abuse. Current tools need to be improved so women can easily report abuse and track the progress of these reports. For example, dashboards that show users the status of all their reports in one place, features to guide them through the reporting process, and tools that offer women access to additional support when it’s needed, could make a huge difference.
Commitments you make today to address these two areas are a positive and necessary step. How you take these forward also matters. As you work towards these goals, we’ll be watching: we will recognise when you make progress and hold you to account when you don’t. Your progress against these commitments will be tracked annually.
Imagine what you can achieve if you follow through on commitments to build safer platforms: an online world where a journalist can engage with feedback on her reporting, not assas sinations of her character. Where a politician may read complaints about her policies, but not threats of rape and murder. Where a young woman can share what she wants to on her terms, knowing there are systems to keep her safe and hold harassers accountable.
If you build this better internet for women, you will build a better internet for everyone. You have the way. Now show the world that you also have the will.
Signed,
Diane Abbott Member of Parliament, UK House of Commons
Betty Achana Executive Secretary, National Union Of Women with Disabilities Of Uganda (NUWODU)
Lillian Achom Director and Founder, Access Plus
Salmana Ahmed Luminate
Nidzara Ahmetasevic Journalist & researcher
Hilda Ajeilat Co-founder, Jordan Transparency Center
Seyi Akiwowo Founder & Executive Director, Glitch
Rhonda Alexander Board Member, Ethical Social Group and CEO, Fluttr
Shahira Amin Al Monitor Correspondent (Egypt)
Rebecca Amsellem Feminist activist, economist and founder of feminist newsletter Les Glorieuses
Fleur Anderson Member of Parliament, UK House of Commons
Gillian Anderson OBE Actor and activist
Dr Carolina Are Online moderation researcher, activist and blogger
Htaike Htaike Aung Executive Director, Myanmar ICT for Development
Arda Awais Co-creator, Identity 2.0
Michelle Bachelet Jeria United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Godha Bapuji Founder, Strategy and Mission Director, Cyber, Human and International Security, Women in Crisis (WiCR)
Tupou’tuah Baravilala Permanent Secretary to ICT Minister, Fiji
Laura Bates Founder, Everyday Sexism Project
Tatiana Bazzichelli Founder & Artistic Director, Disruption Network Lab
Wafa Ben-Hassine Human Rights Lawyer
Jacqui Berrell Owner and Manager, Inform Public Relations
Amanda Berry OBE CEO, BAFTA
Lauren Beukes Author
R Vaishno Bharati Project Associate, IT for Change
Kristiana Blahnik Chief Executive Officer, Manolo Blahnik
Marcia Blenko Board Member, World Wide Web Foundation
Donna Lee Bowen Professor Emerita of Political Science and Middle East Studies, Brigham Young University
Dr Nechama Brodie Writer and academic
Edith Brou Activist & Blogger
Alison Brysk Distinguished Mellichamp Professor of Global Governance at the University of California, Santa Barbara
Julie Burton President and CEO, Women’s Media Center
Winnie Byanyima Executive Director, UNAIDS
Elena Calistru President and Co-founder, Funky Citizens
Kemly Camacho General Coordinator, Cooeprativa Sulá Batsú
Mary Caprioli Associate professor of political science, University of Minnesota— Duluth, Head of the Department of Political Science and Director of the International Relations Program
Sopheap Chak Executive Director, Cambodian Centre for Human Rights
Nandini Chami Deputy Director, IT for Change
Gemma Chan Actor
Maggie Chapman Member of the Scottish Parliament
Soraya Chemaly Executive Director, Women’s Media Center Speech Project
Asma Cherfi CEO, African Leader Nexus
Amrita Chowdhury Director, CCAOI
Helen Clark Former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former UNDP Administrator
Kat Cohen CEO, Ivywise
Lily Cole Actor, model, social entrepreneur
Sasha Costanza-Chock Faculty Associate, Berkman-Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
Nicola Coughlan Actor
Bea Covington Global Partnership Director, AMPLIO
Lana Cuthbertson CEO & Founder, Areto Labs
Catherine D’Ignazio Assistant Professor of Urban Science & Planning Director, Data + Feminism Lab, Department of Urban Studies & Planning, MIT
Amali de Alwis MBE Tech and Startups
Sagra Maceira de Rosen Managing Director, SIO Global
Andrea den Boer Lecturer in international politics, University of Kent
Bhagyashri Dengle Executive Director Asia-Pacific Region, Plan International
Jessica Dheere Director, Ranking Digital Rights
Marisa Drew Chief Sustainability Officer, Credit Suisse
Anne Dunn-Baleilevuka Commissioner for the Online Safety Commission, Fiji
Sarah Elago Activist, youth sector representative, and Philippine lawmaker
Monica Emiru Executive Director, National Association of Women’s Organizations in Uganda (NAWOU)
Alice Eve Actor
Paloma Faith Music Artist
Rebecca Firth Director, Transformation and Community, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team
Melissa Fleming United Nations Under-Secretary General for Global Communications
Deborah Frances-White Comedian and activist
Paula Fray Journalist, media trainer, and CEO, frayintermedia
Mei Lin Fung Chairman of the Board, co-founder with Vint Cerf, People Centered Internet
Pam Garside Partner at Newhealth; Fellow of the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge
Anja Gengo Executive Officer, Internet Governance Secretariat
Arzu Geybulla Journalist, Azerbaijan Internet Watch
Julia Gillard 27th Prime Minister of Australia, Chair, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership
Tabitha Goldstaub Co-founder, CogX and Chair, UK Gov AI Council
Miriam González Co-Founder, GeoChicas
Dorothy Gordon Chair, Information for All Programme, UNESCO
Julie Inman Grant Australian eSafety Commissioner
Anita Gurumurthy Executive Director, IT for Change
Ferial Haffajee Editor and journalist
Professor Dame Wendy Hall University of Southampton
Swee Leng Harris Luminate
Yasmeen Hassan Global Executive Director, Equality Now
Caroline Haworth Chief Executive, Womankind Worldwide
Leila Hessini Vice President, Global Fund for Women
Laura SL Herman Global Gender Equity Practice, Dalberg
Marianne Diaz Hernández Researcher and activist
Risa Hontiveros Philippine Senator, women’s and children’s rights advocate, activist
Valerie Hudson University Distinguished Professor and George H.W. Bush Chair at The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University
Hera Hussain CEO, CHAYN
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE Co-Founder and CEO, Stemettes
Judicaelle Irakoze Executive Director, Choose Yourself
Barbara Iyayi Board Member, World Wide Web Foundation
Céline Jacquin Co-Founder, GeoChicas
Fatou Jagne West Africa Director, ARTICLE 19
Kate James Chair of the Board, Vital Voices Global Partnership
Nina Jankowicz Author and Global Fellow, The Wilson Center
Shruthi Jayaram Co-Lead, Global Gender Equity, Dalberg Advisors
Aranya Johar Poet
Lysa John CIVICUS Secretary-General
Dr Omobola Johnson Senior Partner, TLcom Capital LLP
Sonia Jorge Executive Director, Alliance for Affordable Internet
Ashley Judd Actor and activist
Ellen Judson Senior Researcher, CASM, Demos
Gypsy Guillén Kaiser Advocacy and communications director, Committee to Protect Journalists
Dame Jude Kelly Theatre director
Sonia Khan CEO, SBK Tech Ventures
Nikita Khanna Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Coordinator, Restless Development
Baroness Beeban Kidron Founder, 5Rights Foundation
Jane Kihungi Director, Women Challenged to Challenge
Billie Jean King Founder, Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative
Lauren Klein Associate Professor of English and Quantitative Theory & Methods, Emory University
Caitlin Kraft-Buchman CEO & Founder, Women@theTable
Jacqueline Lampe CEO, RNW Media
Jensine Larsen Founder & CEO, World Pulse Dame Twiggy Lawson DBE
Kim Leadbeater Candidate for UK Parliament
Rosemary Leith Co-founder, World Wide Web Foundation
Claudia Leitte Music Artist
Annie Lennox OBE Founder, The Circle
Heather Leson Technologist
Helena Leurent Director General, Consumers International
Graça Machel
Rebecca MacKinnon Co-founder, Global Voices and Founder, Ranking Digital Rights
Ester Maestro European Projects Coordinator, Fundación Cibervoluntarios
Ian Mangenga Founder, Digital Girl Africa
Nathalie Margi Senior Advocacy Officer, Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights
Angelica Mari Journalist
Rebecca Masisak CEO, TechSoup
Rose McDermott The David and Mariana Fisher University Professor of International Relations at Brown University and a Fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Dr Claire Melamed CEO, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
Debbie Millman Designer, writer, podcaster
Pat Mitchell Founder & CEO, POW! Strategies and Editorial Director, TEDWomen
Fikile Moeti (Fix) Broadcaster and social entrepreneur
Shyleen Momanyi Co-Executive Director, Young Women’s Leadership Institute
Jo Morfee Co-founder, InnovateHer
Françoise Moudouthe CEO, African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF)
Immaculate Mukasa Executive Director, Mentoring and Empowerment Programme for Young Women (MEMPROW)
Samhita Mukhopadhyay Author
Tina Musuya Executive Director, Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP)
Racheal Nakitare Assistant TV Programmes Manager, International Association of Women in Radio and Television
Juliet Nanfuka CIPESA (Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa)
Farah Nazeer CEO, Women’s Aid
Alyse Nelson Co-Founder, President & CEO, Vital Voices Global Partnership
Sophie Nelson Advocacy Champion, The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
Thandiwe Newton OBE Actor and activist
Achia Nila Founder, CEO, Women in Digital
Carole Njoya Founder & Managing Director/CEO, Alcees
Bulanda Nkhowani Program Officer, Paradigm Initiative
Monica Nthiga Regional Director – East Africa, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team
Nnenna Nwakanma Chief Web Advocate, World Wide Web Foundation
Rita Nyampinga Director, Female Prisoners Support Trust (FEMPRIST)
Tope Ogundipe Director, Tech Societal
Femi Oke Journalist and Broadcaster
Scheaffer Okore Director of Policy and Advocacy, Women Political Leaders
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ghana
Trisha Pande Research Associate, Centre for Policy Research
Pooja Pant Director, Voices of Women Media
Melody Patry Advocacy Director, Access Now
Nnenna Paul-Ugochukwu Chief Operating Officer, Paradigm Initiative
Sandra Pepera Director, Gender, Women and Democracy, National Democratic Institute
Jess Phillips Member of Parliament, UK House of Commons
Emilie Pradichit Founder, Manushya Foundation
Angela Quintal Africa program coordinator, Committee to Protect Journalists
Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh Director of Africa Regional Programme, International Commission of Jurists
Maria Ressa Journalist and CEO, Rappler
Mary Robinson Former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Joanna Rubinstein Dr, Council Member, Expert, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Ester Borges Santos Minas Programam
Tanya Selvaratnam Senior Advisor on Gender Justice Narratives, Pop Culture Collaborative
Anasuya Sengupta Co-Director, Whose Knowledge?
Raakhi Shah CEO, The Circle
Tiffany Shlain Founder of Webby Awards & Author
Andrea Simon Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition
Chelsea Slater Co-founder, InnovateHer
Leslie Lynn Smith National Director, GET Cities
Lynn St.Amour President & CEO, Internet Matters
Revi Sterling Director, USAID WomenConnect Challenge
Catherine Stihler OBE CEO, Creative Commons
Debbie Stothard Chair, International Campaign for the Rohingya
Ramona Strugariu Member of the European Parliament
Kathryn D. Sullivan Astronaut, Explorer
Asha Sumputh Journalist
Savena Surana Co-founder, Identity 2.0
Yifat Susskind Executive Director, MADRE
Precious Taru Executive Director, Musasa Project
Professor Mina Teicher Director of the Emmy Noether Research Institute (Israel); former chief scientist at Israel’s Ministry of Science and Technology
WahKuShee Tenner Director, Karen Peace Support Network
Jeni Tennison OBE Vice President and Chief Strategy Adviser, Open Data Institute
Sarai Tevita ICT Director, University of Samoa
Yeama Thompson Director General, Sierra Leone News Agency
Amalia Toledo
Jenny Toomey International Director of Technology & Society, Ford Foundation
FKA twigs Music Artist
Gergana Tzvetkova, PhD Researcher
Onyinye Udokporo CEO, Enrich Learning
Mariana Valente Director, InternetLab – Brazil
Gauri van Gulik Women’s rights activist
Rachel VanNice Senior Manager, Global Operations & GDI Lead, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team
Elodie Vialle Consultant, Digital Safety and Free Expression, PEN America; Berkman Klein Center at Harvard
Arnalie Vicario Online Community Engagement Lead for Humanitarian, Openstreetmap Team and Core Member of GeoladiesPH
Viktorya Vilk Program Director, Digital Safety and Free Expression, PEN America
Marieliv Flores Villalobos Activist Director, Hiperderecho
Priya Jaisinghani Vora CEO and Founder, Future State
Adele Vrana Co-Director, Whose Knowledge?
Ssenfuka Joanita Warry Executive Director, Freedom and Roam Uganda
Emma Watson Actor and activist
Dr Charlotte Webb Feminist Internet
Marnie Webb Chief Community Impact Officer, TechSoup, CEO of Caravan Studios, a division of TechSoup
Moira Whelan Director, Democracy and Technology, National Democratic Institute
Jayathma Wickramanayake UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
Marty Wikstrom Founding Partner, Atelier Fund; Board Member, World Wide Web Foundation
Maisie Williams Actor, filmmaker, and environmentalist
Rhea Wong Founder, Rhea Wong Consulting
Professor Ngaire Woods University of Oxford
Inés Yábar Senior Global Campaigns Coordinator, Restless Development
Selene Yang GeoChicas
Jillian C. York Director for International Freedom of Expression, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Anita Zaidi President of Gender Equality, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
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One Response
Hopefully these social media platforms will comply accordingly. The girl child has obviously become an endangered specie in this present time and age with so many predator men who can’t be responsible around women even on social media. This initiative must be applauded 👍🏼