Measuring Online Harms & Who They Impact
It has long been evident that women, non-binary individuals, and people of color experience a different, and often more hostile, online space. Whether it is on social media platforms, news comment sections, or offline places of work, marginalized groups are disproportionately affected by hostile online actors. What is less clear is how these dynamics play out in the Canadian online spaces and how marginalized users suggest mitigating these harms.
This webinar discusses these concerning issues in-depth, how they compare to the experiences uncovered in a recent 4000 person survey, their implications for Canadian content moderation policies, and how the findings can inform the design of online spaces that increase the capacity of ethnic and cultural communities to confront racism and discrimination online. The webinar will conclude with a discussion on constructive approaches to improving the online experience for those most impacted by its harms.
Lauren Salim is a project leader at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS) at Concordia University where she implements projects on a variety of topics at the intersection of human rights and technology. Lauren currently leads MIGS Digital Peace Project which seeks to identify what government policy makers and tech companies can do to better control the spread of online hate, disinformation, and misinformation online without limiting freedom of expression.