Introduction

Abstract

Digital communications technologies have become ubiquitous both in everyday life and increasingly in everyday crimes. The ease of access to Internet and camera-enabled smartphones, and widespread participation in online social networks, has provided a ready platform for the perpetration of sexual harassment, abuse and violence. Today, barely a day goes by without a news media story on yet another incident of ‘revenge pornography’, of the circulation of images of sexual assault, of ‘online misogyny’, of rape threats directed towards women in both public and private life, of stalking and harassment by ex-partners, or of online abuse directed at victim-survivors of sexual violence. Yet as disturbing as such individual cases may be, when we examine them collectively we can begin to unpack and understand the full nature and extent of the problem: what has become an all too common experience for many women in the online space is in fact a reflection and extension of the everyday sexual harassment and violations experienced by women in society more generally. In this chapter, we introduce our concept of technology-facilitated sexual violence and take stock of some of the broad shifts in digital and communications technology in contemporary society that are associated with sexual violence in a digital age.