Richa Kaul Padte
‘The internet is an unregulated space where you can connect to other people… It is a new frontier, it is a new imagination that makes things possible… It is this space that is so central to our existence and being.’ – Jac sm Kee, APC Women´s Rights Programme How does the relationship between sexuality and the internet play out in different countries? What does this mean for sexual rights?
Banned: advertisements promoting sex-selection on Google, Microsoft Bing and Yahoo. Banned: searches from India with the words ‘sex’ or ‘sexual’ on Microsoft Bing. Banned: porn cartoon Savita Bhabhi, depicting the sexual exploits of a married Indian woman. The discourse of censorship is well-known to most people, as India’s right-wing moral brigades routinely flock to the streets to
So you’ve got proper online security, strong passwords, and great software all good to go. But are there other kinds of threats you may face online? What about abuse, verbal violence and harassment that no firewall or plug-in can prevent? ‘I faced sexual harassment and it was published in [a prominent newspaper], and then it was put up on the internet.
Do you know how to use your web browser in a secure manner? What is the benefit of adding that “s” after http? Are you aware of the security features on the email you use? What sensitive data do you keep about you or your community, and what would people have access to if your computer, laptop or mobile phone was stolen?
A password is your first line of defence – for your computer, email, and information. So firstly, make sure your computer is password protected (under the ‘admin’ account option), so your prying brother doesn’t get his hands on that flyer for the new weekly queer event. Or those letters from your lover.
Imagine the life of an Indian gender or sexuality rights activist. What work do they do? Who do they interact with? What threats do they face? Here are some snapshots (created by participants). Read more in GenderIT.org .
The internet is an important part of many of our daily lives, work and activism – but how many of us actually understand what it is?
Within the arena of ‘women, sexuality and the internet’, the usual suspects of pornography, indecency, and non-consensual videography are often the first topics that come to mind. But women aren’t just subjects on the internet – they are users, too.
When most people think about women and technology, the two things may seem incongruent: a cartoon visualisation of a woman struggling to use the toaster; a joke about women drivers; female executives calling in ‘the IT guys’ to fix their computers.
Bringing together sexual rights activists, women’s groups and internet activists, the first EROTICS India workshop – organised by Point of View, APC (Association for Progressive Communications) and the Internet Democracy Project – explored the relationship between sexual rights activism, sexuality, and the Internet.