How AI worsens online violence against Middle East women

Female journalists in the Middle East frequently face unwanted online contact, often from men, according to Kholoud al-Ameri, an Iraqi journalist and editor. While some try to engage, most are ignored. Syrian activist Yaman Amer reports receiving hundreds of hostile comments, but only a small percentage make her report them as particularly vile or threatening.

Online harassment is a widespread issue, with studies indicating that 40% to 60% of women globally and 65% globally have experienced it. In the Middle East, 68% of women report facing it, and almost all have witnessed it.

The UN Women defines technology facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) as harmful acts committed through information communication technologies or digital tools against a person due to their gender. In the Middle East, 49% of women using the internet feel unsafe from online harassment, especially activists, journalists, or politicians. Artificial intelligence is exacerbating online harassment, making it easier to spread disinformation, create deepfake pornographic videos, and target individuals at scale.

In conservative Middle Eastern cultures, the threat of AI-generated half-naked images can lead to serious offline consequences due to honor, family reputation, and male control norms. Legal protection and reporting options are limited, with only about 7% of women reporting technology-facilitated violence to law enforcement. Targeted women often block perpetrators, become more cautious with their online presence, or delete their accounts.

The rapid growth of AI-enabled harassment is particularly concerning in the Middle East, given the region's political instability and displacement issues that make women more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.