Feminist talk

Shia Muslims are constantly at risk of being targeted with violence on and offline for their religious belief. And with online gender-based violence routinely a problem, when Shia women and queer folks go online, they find themselves at risk of being targeted with abuse from multiple fronts as their two identities combine.

Community networks in quilombolas from Terra Seca/Ribeirão Grande in Brazil have been helping households to connect to the internet while serving individual needs of residents. In the backdrop of the FIRN research exploring the same, the authors discuss how these community-led networks connect communities with technology.

A Google engineer claimed that an AI bot has become sentient. Is that a possibility? Can a program designed and trained by a human develop the ability to feel human-like feelings? Priyadarshini John explores. 

India recently withdrew its data protection bill, putting the data of over a billion people at risk. The already vulnerable individuals became more susceptible to data misuse, especially those already under threat of being targeted for personal choices or identities. This article explores how lack of data protection puts abortion seekers at risk in a society that rejects abortions.

In Iran, women are protesting to demand bodily autonomy and their right to live, in the wake of the state-backed murder of a 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by the morality police. The government is responding by killing more women, attacking protestors and censoring the internet to contain the information.

When conducting feminist research, it is important to acknowledge various intersectionalities, as well as ethics of care, challenges and all the dynamic interconnections in the process. The FIRN partners explore these themes in their research through the years.

Sex positivity is being rejected by many now given how it is portrayed as something that requires hypersexualised expressions rather than understanding the nuances of what it actually entails. Tiffany Mugo discusses how podcasts are revisiting sex positivity through storytelling.

Young women in South Asia struggle with the society's obsession of fair skin and eurocentric features all their lives, so beauty filters on social media apps have been providing them what many home remedies have failed to offer. But how are these tech solutions impacting their self-esteem? Areej Akhtar discusses.

As the world celebrates Pride month every June, in Pakistan, this celebration brings hate and violence to the community. The writer explores how seemingly innocuous expression of queerness and support for the community has opened doors of violence on individuals on the intern

In light of the illegal status of safe abortion, abortion seekers turn to the internet to access credible related information. Shruti Arora discusses how women in India and Poland challenge the abortion ban, and how online resources help them seek authentic information for safe abortion.