Women's safety online

Women's safety online

Author: BBC World Service October 19, 2021 Duration: 44:38

False information online has left one in five girls feeling physically unsafe, according to The Truth Gap, a new report by Plan International.

One in three say false information is affecting their mental health, leaving them feeling stressed, worried and anxious. Others reported concerns about bogus events advertised on social media placing them at physical risk, or unreliable medical advice that could harm their health.

Girls and young women from low and middle-income countries were more likely to be affected by unreliable or false information online, and twice as likely to have questioned whether to get the vaccine than those in high income countries.

The researchers are calling on governments to educate children and young people in digital literacy.

Related to this, BBC Misinformation reporter Marianna Spring, who has also been subjected to misogynistic online, abuse set out to understand how why such content seems to be promoted on some social media platforms. We examine her findings.

There is more from Marianna’s investigation in Panorama ‘ Online abuse :why do you hate me?’

And Emily Bird reports on robots used to study glaciers in situations which would be far too dangerous for human researchers.

The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Ghislaine Boddington

Studio Manager: Duncan Hannant Producer: Julian Siddle

(Image: ‘Barry’ CGI image from Panorama ‘ Online abuse :why do you hate me?. Credit: thispersondoesnotexist.com)


Every week, the team at Digital Planet from the BBC World Service takes you beyond the headlines to explore how technology is reshaping lives, cultures, and economies across the globe. This isn't just a rundown of gadget releases or corporate earnings; it's a grounded conversation about the real-world impact of our digital choices. You'll hear from engineers in Nairobi, policymakers in Brussels, and coders in São Paulo, offering a genuinely international perspective that challenges the usual Silicon Valley narrative. Each episode digs into the human stories behind the innovations, examining both the promise and the peril of our connected age. We tackle questions about ethics, accessibility, and the unintended consequences of progress, making sense of complex issues with clear, thoughtful reporting. Tune in for a nuanced and curious exploration of our technological moment, where the focus is always on the people designing, using, and living with these tools every day. This podcast provides the context you need to understand not just what's new, but what it actually means.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Digital Planet
Podcast Episodes
Audio beats - the new digital drugs? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:57
Could audio files be the new digital drugs? New research shows that binaural beats - illusionary tones created by the brain when the brain hears two different tones in each ear – can change someone’s emotional state. The…
Africa’s first cyber-security declaration [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:45
As African connectivity improves, so does the spread of cybercrime across the continent. The first ever African cybersecurity conference was held in Togo recently and resulted in twenty nine nations signing the Lomé decl…
Robot boat to survey Tonga volcano [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:10
A robot boat is to gather data following Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai’s eruption to try and help scientists what may have caused one of the fiercest volcanic eruptions in more than a century. The 12m long robot boat, called…
Facial recognition identifies dead Russian soldiers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:26
It’s been reported that Ukraine is receiving help to identify Russian infiltrators or ID dead soldiers. A facial recognition company called Clearview AI is offering access to its database of billions of facial images. We…
Splinternet Risks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:21
The shifting geopolitical economics following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to the reappearance of the word “Splinternet”. In recent years some countries have created the physical infrastructure to potentially run…
Calls for facial recognition tech ban on Brazilian metro [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:37
A number of Brazilian civil rights organisations have filed a civil lawsuit against a company operating the São Paulo metro and their use of facial recognition technology. They are calling for an immediate suspension of…
Tracking Russian disinformation and propaganda sites [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:55
NewsGuard – tracking Russian disinformation and propaganda sites False claims and misinformation about Ukraine and its allies have been rife online for months. Now a new tracking centre, which monitors Russian-Ukraine di…
Ukraine’s massive global tech presence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:39
Did you know that the tech behind your door bell was likely to have been designed in the Ukraine? Or that Grammarly’s founders are Ukrainian. It’s probably easier to list the tech that we all use that has Ukrainian roots…
The bionic eye that’s obsolete [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:07
Imagine receiving the latest medical implant that can partially restore your vision, now imagine the technology behind your implant no longer being produced or supported. That’s what happened to about 350 patients around…
India to launch digital rupee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:24
India has announced a digital budget with plans to create its own cryptocurrency – the digital rupee. It also plans a 30% digital asset tax. Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean at the Fletcher School at Tufts University explains t…