Cybersecurity in Humanities and Social Sciences

7Anti-feminist Cyber-violence as a Risk Factor: Analysis of Cybersecurity Issues for Feminist Activists in France

7.1. Introduction

Concerning the process of transforming informal modes of political participation, the literature presents online activism as a new stage of contestation in the context of the cyberization of social interactions. Studies in the sociology of social movements have been very interested in the structuring effects of social media on collective action, but almost always through the prism of mobilization by highlighting their organizational or strategic dimension. Based on a broad interpretation of the definition of cybersecurity, this study is more concerned with feminist uses of Web 2.0 and the relationship between insecurity and security in online spaces for feminist activists. Starting from a conception of an online–offline continuum, this chapter examines cybersecurity issues for feminist activists based on a comparison between spaces of protest in Quebec and France.

The preliminary results of our thesis, which examines the online and offline consequences of cyber-violence and cyberstalking on feminist activist trajectories, argue that online activism is not a passive and less costly form of engagement [MOR 11]. Our results also show that there seem to be no specificities to online activism compared to conventional modes of political participation [RES 00] beyond the risks and costs associated with activism and mobilization. The cost is observable ...