A new report released by the United Nations Broadband Commission has declared that the Internet is being used as a tool “to inflict harm on women and girls” and called for worldwide action on what it calls “cyber VAWG” because despite the rapidly growing number of women experiencing online violence, only 26% of law enforcement agencies in the 86 countries surveyed are taking appropriate action.

Entitled “Cyber Violence Against Women and Girls: A World-Wide Wake-Up Call”, the report urged governments and industry to work more effectively to better protect the growing number of women and girls who are victims of online threats and harassment.

So while the UN says we need to ‘wake up’ and fight cyber violence, it wants the tech companies to cooperate with law enforcement, implementing takedown procedures, producing transparency reports, and make sure that the termination of abusers’ accounts is possible.

According to The Washington Post, the United Nations proposes that social networks proactively police every profile and post, and that government agencies only “license” those who agree to do so. The report, according to the newspaper, repeatedly suggests that social networks need to opt-in to stronger anti-harassment regimes and that governments need to enforce them proactively.

Excerpts from the report:

“The respect for and security of girls and women must at all times be front and center not only for those producing and providing the content, but also everyone with any role in shaping the technical backbone and enabling environment of our digital society…

“Rigorous oversight and enforcement of rules banning cyber VAWG on the Internet is going to be an essential foundation stone if the Internet is to become a safe, respectful and empowering space for women and girls, and by extension, for men and boys…

“Political and governmental bodies need to use their licensing prerogative to better protect human and women’s rights, only granting licenses to those Telecoms and search engines that supervise content and its dissemination.”

While the UN wants to mobilize the public and private sectors, the proposed plan of action definitely looks like an attempt to transform the Web from a libertarian free-for-all to some kind of enforced social commons.

Don’t get mad that some charlatans spoke at the UN, get mad that they are pushing VAWG as a means to regulate the internet #cyberviolence — C:\mcintosh (@full_mcintosh) September 25, 2015

There’s so much wrong w/the UN VAWG report it shouldn’t even be considered valid. Just another everlasting vie for control for the internet — stackfl0w (@stackflow33) September 28, 2015

Cyber VAWG: PJ Watson harpoons the beached whale: http://t.co/D4pbD7vBwo — BrowningMachine (@BrowningMachine) September 28, 2015

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