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Soon after Joe Biden announced last year that he would pick a woman as his running mate, Democratic congresswoman Jackie Speier began warning Facebook executives: Female politicians receive the most vile online attacks, and the company’s filters were failing to stop them.
“We showed them 20 examples that were disgusting and they were still up!” said Speier, of Hillsborough, whose meetings included one with Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. Facebook’s response gave her little comfort. “Keep sending us these horrific examples,” she said executives told her, “and we’ll take them down.”
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., Chair of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee, speaks during a news conference.
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Such findings elevate widespread concerns that women, still significantly underrepresented in political and corporate offices, will avoid or give up leadership jobs that leave them vulnerable to online abuse. “It certainly discourages women from getting engaged in politics,” Speier said, given worries about family and personal safety.
For example, some female members of the British Parliament cited online abuse and threats in declining to run for reelection in 2019, prompting advocates there to push for better online safety training.
Nina Jankowicz, who focuses on online threats against female politicians as a fellow at the Wilson Center, is a target of disinformation and harassment too.