Gender & Digital Security Results from a Scoping Study by The Citizen Lab

In fall 2018, the Citi­zen Lab commis­si­o­ned a scoping study in the context of its exis­ting rese­arch stre­ams—­Tar­ge­ted Thre­ats, Free­dom of Expres­sion Online, App Privacy and Controls, and Trans­pa­rency and Accoun­ta­bi­lity. The purpose of the scoping study was to iden­tify gaps rele­vant to these rese­arch areas in the field of gender and digi­tal secu­rity. Findings from this scoping study aim to inform the Citi­zen Lab’s objec­tive of produ­cing evidence-based rese­arch on gender and digi­tal secu­rity that enhan­ces unders­tan­ding and builds capa­city, espe­ci­ally of part­ners in the Global South, as part of efforts to ensure a more open, secure, and equi­ta­ble Inter­net.

Conduc­ted over seven months, the scoping study inclu­ded 30 inter­vi­ews with Citi­zen Lab staff, part­ners, donors, and rele­vant experts, a review of acade­mic and nona­ca­de­mic rese­arch lite­ra­ture, and group discus­si­ons with members of the Citi­zen Lab. This report contains a summary of the scoping study’s results and it proce­eds as follows: first, it outli­nes the Lab’s work on gender and digi­tal secu­rity; second, it maps the lands­cape of rese­arch and advo­cacy in this field and discus­ses the inter­vi­ews’ findings; and finally, it high­lights some of the rese­arch gaps that are rele­vant to the Citi­zen Lab’s work.

Read the full report for more rese­arch and analy­sis.