All Abuse Types (11)

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) encompasses a wide range of harmful acts. The language to describe these acts of abuse is continuously evolving, with terms combining and splitting as the industry’s understanding of the space improves.

The abuse types listed here represent our understanding of the breadth of ways TFGBV can manifest. While Humane Intelligence hosts and maintains this taxonomy, we encourage it to be seen as a collective effort on the part of the Trust & Safety community.

For the purpose of introducing viewers to this space, relationships displayed between objects in this taxonomy (abuse types, perpetrator types, mitigation strategies, etc) represent the most common connections we've seen between them. In the real world, any object can relate to any other.

Is there anything you’d like to provide comment on in this taxonomy? We’d love to hear your feedback!

Cyberstalking

Surveilling a target’s digital life without their knowledge or consent.

Doxxing

The intentional online exposure of an individual's identity, personal details or sensitive information without their consent and with the intention of placing them at risk of harm.

Voyeuristic recording

The covert recording of an unaware target without their consent.

Sexual extortion

Extortion that either uses the release of intimate data as the threat and/or that extorts sexual favors from the target.

Account access control

Gaining access to someone's digital accounts without permission or exploiting access to someone’s accounts to monitor, control, or harm them.

Internet of things (IoT) abuse

The use of the devices in a target’s personal life to track, control, or harass them.

Intimate image abuse (IIA)

Producing, reproducing, or sharing intimate images without consent.

Online harassment

Pervasive or severe, unwanted digital communication targeting an individual or group with the intention to intimidate, threaten, or cause psychological distress.

Online impersonation

The unauthorized use of another person's identity or likeness on digital platforms to deceive, manipulate, or harm them or others.

Deceptive synthetic media

Fabricating realistic representations of real individuals without their consent.

Inappropriate content

Deliberately exposing targets to disturbing, graphic, or psychologically harmful content as a method of control, manipulation, or intimidation.

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