By Ahmad Deedat Zakari
An investigation by the United Kingdom media regulatory agency, Ofcom, has shown that women are more prone to online attacks than men.
According to the study, women are wearier of their online presence and prone to discriminatory, hateful and trolling content. They also feel less able to have a voice and share opinions online than their male counterpart.
Ofcom then calls for technology firms that build sites and apps used by millions of people in the UK to act and make online space safer for women and girls.
Also, according to the study, women from minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to be affected by their painful online experiences.
“The message from women who go online is loud and clear. They are less confident about their personal online safety, and feel the negative effects of harmful content like trolling more deeply.
“We urge tech companies to take women’s online safety concerns seriously and place people’s safety at the heart of their services. That includes listening to feedback from users when they design their services and the algorithms that serve up content,” says Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s Chief Executive.