New technologies including artificial intelligence tools, wearable devices, and social media platforms are increasingly being misused to target women through harassment, surveillance, and non-consensual imagery, raising serious concerns among policymakers and digital safety advocates.
Experts warn that while emerging technologies promise innovation, they are also creating new avenues for gender-based abuse online, ranging from AI-generated deepfakes to covert recording through smart devices.
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AI Tools Used To Create Non-Consensual Images
One of the most alarming trends involves AI-generated sexual imagery targeting women and girls. Experts cited cases where AI tools were used to digitally alter images and produce fake nude photos without the person’s consent, a form of abuse often referred to as deepfake sexual violence. Such technologies enable perpetrators to create highly realistic images or videos that can be circulated online to harass victims, damage reputations, or extort individuals.
Researchers say the rapid development of generative AI has made such tools easier to access and harder to regulate, intensifying concerns about online safety.
Wearable Technology Raising Privacy Concerns
New forms of wearable technology are also contributing to fears of surveillance and misuse. Devices such as AI-enabled smart glasses have drawn criticism after reports that they could capture and store footage of individuals without their knowledge or consent.
Privacy advocates argue that such devices blur the boundaries between public and private spaces, making it difficult for individuals—particularly women—to know when they are being recorded. These concerns are growing as wearable technology becomes more widely integrated into everyday life.
Digital Platforms Amplify Online Abuse
Beyond hardware devices, social media and digital platforms continue to serve as major channels for online harassment, stalking, and image-based abuse targeting women. Advocacy groups say perpetrators often exploit platform features such as anonymous accounts, messaging systems, and content manipulation tools to intimidate or silence women online.
Experts argue that the scale of digital abuse highlights the need for stronger regulation, platform accountability, and safety-by-design approaches in technology development.
Global Debate Over Regulation Of Technology
The issue has increasingly attracted attention from policymakers, particularly in Europe, where discussions are underway about regulating online platforms and digital technologies that enable gender-based violence.
Lawmakers have been exploring broader legal frameworks to address technology-facilitated abuse, including online harassment, deepfakes, and digital stalking, as part of efforts to strengthen protections for women in the digital space.
Experts say effective regulation must address both the technological tools enabling abuse and the platforms that allow such content to spread rapidly online.
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Calls For Safer Technology Design
Digital rights advocates argue that technology companies must integrate safety safeguards during product design rather than addressing harms after deployment.
They warn that without stronger oversight and accountability, emerging technologies could continue to be exploited to perpetrate gender-based violence, harassment, and privacy violations at scale.
As AI tools and connected devices become increasingly embedded in everyday life, experts stress that ensuring digital safety and consent protections—particularly for women and girls—must become a core priority in technology governance.
About the author – Rehan Khan is a law student and legal journalist with a keen interest in cybercrime, digital fraud, and emerging technology laws. He writes on the intersection of law, cybersecurity, and online safety, focusing on developments that impact individuals and institutions in India.
