Unbowed reports on technology-facilitated gender-based violence: abuse that is carried out, assisted or amplified by digital tools, and directed at people because of their gender. That includes such things as Image-based sexual abuse, sexually explicit deepfakes, sextortion, doxxing, stalkerware and harassment.
We are a small group of reporters who have seen at close hand what this does to people, and in some cases have been on the receiving end of it. That is why we started this.
Unbowed is a not-for-profit publication. We report on events worldwide.
Why we exist
This is a growing problem and it is thinly covered. Across 18 countries, close to 60 per cent of women with internet access told researchers for the United Nations Population Fund that they had experienced at least one form of technology-facilitated violence. Reports to police of online violence against women journalists have doubled since 2020, according to research published by UN Women and UNESCO.
Coverage does not match that. Stories surface when a celebrity case breaks or a law passes, then disappear. Meanwhile legislation, court rulings, regulatory action and platform policy are moving faster than almost anyone is tracking, and the people affected are frequently reported on in ways that are not survivor-centric.
What we cover
- Law and policy – legislation, regulation, and what happens after it passes
- Platforms and AI – the companies, the tools, and how they respond
- Courts – prosecutions, civil claims, and whether cases actually reach a verdict
- Research – what the evidence shows, and what it does not
- Regions – how this looks in places that get little international coverage
How we work
We publish what we can verify. Where a story turns on something unconfirmed, we set out what is established, what is a claim, and what we asked for and did not get.
We follow published guidance on reporting sexual violence, including from the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative and the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. We do not identify survivors without their consent.
Our editorial standards are published in full, and we correct errors openly and promptly.
Independence
Unbowed is a not-for-profit publication and editorially independent. No funder, partner or advertiser sees copy before publication or decides what we cover.
Contact
contact@unbowed.news