Online violence against women and girls (online VAWG) is a pervasive problem, impacting the lives of women and girls globally. Government, platforms and civil society organisations around the world are increasingly turning their attention to online VAWG. However, there is a lack of understanding around the role of platform design specifically. To fill this gap, the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) commissioned this research to investigate the impact of platform design on online VAWG. The research is intentionally geared towards an international audience so as to further support the work of the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse.
The research had three key objectives:
To address these objectives, PUBLIC took a four-phased approach including landscape review, stakeholder engagement, design review, and final report. Over 100+ literature sources were reviewed to understand the landscape, which was then validated through 22 stakeholder interviews including both civil society organisations and platforms (social media and online dating). Through this process PUBLIC long-listed 50+ design features available on platforms, and short-listed them to 12 priority features which were both prevalent across platforms and considered risky to users, based on stakeholder interviews.
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Following the landscape review and stakeholder engagement, PUBLIC consolidated findings, brainstormed potential future design opportunities and tested them with the project Civil Society Expert Group (CSEG), a team of 5 leading civil society organisations in online VAWG. With their support PUBLIC designed 4 future-facing design features to elevate women and girls current experiences online through education, reporting, warning users (i.e. moderation) and bulk actions (i.e. responding to harms as a public figure).
The findings were consolidated into a comprehensive 100+ page report, providing critical evidence to inform DSIT and the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse on the current digital landscape.
Core Findings:
Reach out to the team
Navigating the era of AI safety and online regulation
Replaced localised knowledge with organisational intelligence
Transforming workforce strategy into a living, adaptive tool for long-term strategic delivery
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NHSX’s six-week, rapid-scouting TechForce19 challenge successfully identified, funded, and scaled 18 digital solutions to deliver "a significant and palpable improvement" in care for vulnerable and isolated people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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PUBLIC led a UK government initiative to fund five organisations developing privacy-preserving technology to detect child sexual abuse material in encrypted environments.
Supporting a Distribution Network Operator to craft a modern, future-proof IT and Digital estate to help them achieve long term digital transformation
Helping Hackney Council build more user-friendly housing and benefits programmes and recover from a cyber incident with advanced data management
Developing a practical data strategy to help the OPSS advance its data maturity within essential data-reliant regulatory functions
Partnering with DCMS to operate the UK’s first Safety Tech Challenge Fund - a groundbreaking grant programme aimed at empowering safety tech innovation to enhance child online safety
Working with the Cambridge City Council (CCC) to build a clear, actionable digital transformation strategy to ultimately serve its communities
Through extensive desk research, use case development and stakeholder engagement, we recommended four areas of focus for the EHRC’s Strategic Plan relating to AI and equality and human rights.
Developing recommendations grounded in leading industry insights to empower DSIT to support the SafetyTech sector’s growth effectively and navigate potential challenges
Empowering DSIT to assess the Online Safety Bill’s effectiveness with a flexible M&E framework informed by robust research
Researching accreditation approaches across the technology sector to develop recommendations for a tailored accreditation process for the online safety tech industry
Comprehensive research to equip Ofcom with a deep understanding of online content accessibility via search services, informing online safety guidance
Crafting a comprehensive Interactive Services (IS) Model to provide Ofcom with a common framework for understanding user journeys and platform workflows
Conducting a detailed analysis of the emerging SafetyTech sector to enable DCMS to make informed decisions and continue supporting the sector’s expansion
Mapping the current state of the Age Assurance market, identifying representative use cases, and key challenges to help DCMS gain a more in-depth understanding of a rapidly evolving technology sector
Researching the existing taxonomy, prevalence, legislative and regulatory landscape, and emerging trends related to Child Financial Harms
Developing a ‘minimum-viable product’ for a standards framework to assess online safety compliance solutions
Through mixed methods user research we mapped the prevalence and impact of OVAWG, identified key dynamics characterising how these harms occur, and categorised 18 harm types.
Researched innovative design approaches that can support the safety of women and girls on online platforms and services.
Supporting the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) to build a new platform which provides access to UK regulation as enriched, machine-readable data
Connecting cross-government data to deliver better outcomes for people with complex needs
Building a practical, user-centred digital strategy through meaningful team engagement with clinical and non-clinical staff
Research, system-mapping and recommendations for Nominet's fund combatting illegal online harm.
Facilitating data access to catalyse innovation in the Safety Tech sector
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