Our Work
From changing the law to research that centres the experiences of Black women online, Glitch continues to advance our mission.
Producing groundbreaking research
‘The Digital Misogynoir Report: Ending the dehumanising of Black women on social media’
This report was unique in that it highlighted misogynoir across multiple online platforms in collaboration with Textgain. We analysed Twitter (now known as X), Facebook, Instagram, Gab and 4ChanThe report not only highlighted the alarming prevalence of digital misogynoir but also proposed a series of calls to action for tech companies, governments, civil society, and communities which have served as a north star for Glitch’s advocacy.
The report was published to widespread acclaim – with over 100 attendees at the launch event, numerous downloads, frequent citations - including in Ofcom’s Violence against Women and Girls guidance as part of the Online Safety Act regulatory regime. We’re also humbled to have received positive feedback from other non-profits such as the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) and Access Now.
Winning campaigns and changing laws
After six years of campaigning, we were successful in changing law to better address the safety of women and girls! The Online Safety Act (formerly Bill) was amended this summer to explicitly address the safety of women and girls, as a result of Glitch’s work. 2023 saw Glitch carry out extensive campaigning on this matter, delivering an awareness raising campaign with EE Hope United and obtaining over 100,000 signatures on a joint petition with EVAW to ensure women and girls’ safety is protected. Glitch continues to lead the way following the amendment and has successfully built a strong relationship with UK government regulator, Ofcom, to ensure safety measures for women and girls are implemented effectively.
Mainstreaming ‘digital misogynoir’ in tech policy
Using the Digital Misogynoir Report as a steer, we strengthened existing relationships and built new partnerships with corporations like Bumble, to advise them on how they can improve their understanding and awareness of digital misogynoir, and how it occurs on their platforms. We continue to build our credibility as an expert on Black women’s online safety, leading to some companies to adopt our proposed Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Code of Practice.
Engaging in tech x liberation x justice work
A thought-leader in Black women’s safety online, we have engaged with a wide range of audiences in the UK and beyond. We expanded our engagement with European civil society, working in partnership with the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) delivering roundtables on AI and deepfake harms exploring routes of non-criminal redress and participating in high level influencing on the EU AI Act by presenting at a civil society roundtable hosted by the Center for Democracy & Technology. Glitch has been honoured to have presence at many high-level events including Vital Voices, the Internet Governance Forum, Black Tech Fest, and the AI Action Summit.