Cyber Bytes

Digital spaces are being used by Black and Indigenous  women and gender-diverse community leaders, organizers, Black and Indigenous rights defenders, to communicate, gather, network, mobilize, access and share information, raise awareness, coordinate action, advocate and gain visibility, together creating what can be understood as an online civic space. By creating space for innovative and creative forms of resistance, it allows women, girls and marginalised groups to draw attention to structurally marginalised and silenced issues in personal, collective and community voices.

Online advocacy and resistance brings a new set of risks, threats and challenges of cybermisogyny. Different tactics including doxxing surveillance, censorship, criminalisation of dissent, among others, significantly curtail peaceful assembly in online spaces. Furthermore, multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination and structural inequities, both compound and present unique challenges for the meaningful participation of intersectionally marginalized and oppressed groups in online civic spaces.

Attacks are disproportionately aimed at Indigenous, Black and racialized women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities, who now represent an unprecedented number public-facing professions, exposing the alarming and ever-present trend of threatening rhetoric based on the intersections of gender, race, class, or religious affiliation.

Black and Indigenous women and gender diverse people in civic institutions and justice movements endure high rates of cyberviolence, a form of gender-based harassment that includes violent, sexist and sexually abusive digital communications, including but not limited to emails, blogs, and social media posts (International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics, 2017). 

Global research on technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) also found that trans women experiencing higher proportions of TFGBV. In particular, trans and gender diverse people have become the targets of newer forms of cyberbullying such as doxxing and swatting.

Cyber misogyny particularly affects women’s and gender diverse people's ability to express themselves in public, especially if they hold activist, leadership or community organizing roles, take bold stances or are aspiring leaders. Cyber misogyny is the targeted harassment and abuse, which can escalate to more severe threats such as doxxing and stalking.  From our research with participants, there are limited resources and educational spaces dedicated to addressing the specific safety needs of Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color (BIWOC) and gender diverse people.

This series delves into the nexus between digital advocacy and cyber security, acknowledging the multifaceted identities and experiences of individuals within marginalized communities and how these intersecting factors shape their interactions with digital platforms. Participants will explore how these intersecting axes of identity compound vulnerabilities and barriers to digital security. By learning about digital safety, individuals can participate more effectively in online activism, amplify their voices, and mobilize for social change without fear of retribution or retaliation.

Our solution, Cyber Bytes, focuses on using technology and innovation as powerful tools to build a more educated population of internet users to promote peace and prosperity. We will be educating 30 community leaders on digital safety, through a series of 6 hybrid workshops. Each session will be led by a subject matter expert (legal expert, feminist educator, cyber security experts). These workshops will be filmed and compiled to create open-access videos. Also, workshops and consultations will be evaluated and compiled in research reports. The topics that will be covered throughout include online safety and advocacy, gender and identity-based attacks, online harassment, and privacy intrusion and surveillance.

All of our workshops, training, events, toolkits and other resources on cybersecurity, online/digital safety and advocacy are free to access on our website and social media channels. We will be creating and disseminating an online educational framework, engaging thousands of followers.

This is part of Platform’s leadership project, which aims to support women and gender diverse individuals to advance in leadership positions. The digital safety and activism material will be a component of the redefining fellowship learning institute and will allow for creating comprehensive safe spaces/platforms for diverse leaders to thrive and learn.

Primary beneficiaries: Black, Indigenous women and Gender diverse people. This is one of our primary audience for Platform programming. We focus on intersectionality, and so most of the Black, Indigenous women and Gender diverse people are also Indigenous, Black and Racialised, between the ages of 16-29. We have consistent participant registrations of all of our programming, reaching over 1,300 people annually, 26k virtually.

The project was conceived in 2022 from feedback from participants in our national civic leadership program that digital safety was a priority concern for them. The adaptation of material to Black, Indigenous women and Gender diverse people needs will allow us to reach at least 200 additional individuals.

Platform’s team strives to be representative of the community we work with.

Our approach to addressing online safety issues for BIWOC and gender diverse people leaders to navigate online civic engagement is rooted in previous projects and research conducted in collaboration with the community. We have actively engaged with community members and subject matters experts, educators, BIWOC and gender diverse community leaders to gather insights, assess and understand the needs, and identify gaps in existing support systems.

Consultations with the community are an integral part of our project development process. We believe in co-creating solutions with community members, valuing their expertise and perspectives. Through ongoing consultations, we seek their input, feedback, and ideas, empowering them to shape the project according to their needs and aspirations. This collaborative approach guarantees that the project is built upon the community's input, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness in addressing the real challenges they face. We also have a wide network and partnerships (with 20 national organizations) to share toolkits and research widely

 Platform has managed similar projects to this scale and engaging women and gender-diverse youth (such as the Redefining Leadership Fellowship). Our staff have experience in curriculum and program development, workshop delivery, research and production of accessible research reports and digital knowledge mobilization assets

We have built many programs that address the leadership advancement of Black, Indigenous women and Gender diverse people, specifically Black, Indigenous and Racialized individuals.

We have developed an educational framework to address Racialized youth online safety issues. This covers topics about: “Intro to Online Safety", "Cyber Misogyny", "Digital Footprint", "Digital Safety 101" and "Digital Advocacy Campaigns". Our workshops on and our civic engagement program had 200 Racialized participants, 50% of which are post secondary students aged 17-25. Our Healing Together program, focused on building solidarity between Black and Indigenous women and gender diverse people is delivered in Partnership with AYDA Women (Arctic Youth Development Agency) to reach Northern, rural and Indigenous communities in Yukon and Northwest Territories (NWT). Between 2021-present we reached 372 Indigenous women, girls and gender queer people.

Building new partnerships will allow Platform to strengthen its business model, bringing forward the voices of underrepresented populations. Our aim is to be a civic engagement platform which is impactful and progressive, and we would like to do so while partnering with multiple entities (research institutions, corporates, incubators, other technology initiatives).

We are also working to diversify our revenue sources, which is why improving our business model and pitching the project to different entities will be a valuable learning experience. We will benefit from interacting with other expert leaders and will be looking to refine the technology-related part of our solution, if possible. 

Platform draws on the expertise of staff members and subject matter experts who have backgrounds in cyber security and online gender-based violence like Sarah Tariq, who has a GIAC Certified Incident Handler certification. Platform has an existing digital safety workshop series with high engagement including projects aimed at providing coding and podcasting skills to young Muslim women.

We will expand our curriculum for this project. Platform is uniquely positioned to address gender-based safety in online and public institutions. We have staffing, previous experience, partnerships and access to networks to produce research, curricula and execute programming.   

Platform’s solution aims to make a positive difference in addressing cyber misogyny.

To overcome the high levels of cyberviolence Black and Indigenous women and gender diverse/transgender people experience, especially the ones who are in politics, we will be providing educational tools and resources which will help them understand the risks they might face online and teach them ways to protect themselves. They will be empowered to navigate the internet safely and confidently, whether they are using it as individuals or as leaders in the community. This is a way to reduce the harmful effects of cyber misogyny and create a safer and more inclusive online environment for everyone.

At a community level, we expect to see a greater understanding amongst Black and Indigenous WOC and gender diverse youth of online safety and an expanded skill set that ensures protection against online threats, privacy intrusion, cyber-bullying and GBV. At an institutional level, research produced through an evaluation survey will provide organizations and institutions with a better understanding of what online harms look like for these young women and gender diverse youth and assess their needs.

We expect that Black and Indigenous women and gender diverse young leaders feel safe engaging in the internet and are equipped with an extensive knowledge of online safety skills that are specific to their identities. We expect thatBIWOC and gender diverse people use our resources and workshops as a reliable tool to learn about online safety and that our research expands our knowledge of the online threats thatBIWOC and gender diverse people face. 

In order to measure the progress of our solution, the digital safety sessions will be evaluated by a Platform staff (pre/post survey and analysis of results), and a final project evaluation report will be developed after compiling session evaluation reports and conducting focus groups and developing surveys for final evaluation.

In terms of quantitative measures, we will be gathering demographic data, exposure to online threats and harassment, experiences of privacy intrusion and cyber-bullying and intersecting experiences of Homophobia, Transphobia and racism. This information will be collected through an evaluation survey at the end of our workshop series as well as our initial consultations with 5 subject matter experts. We will also be online tools, reports and training programs that will be providing skills to combat online safety threats specific to BIWOC and gender diverse people

It is a combination of digital platforms, tools and resources designed to enhance online safety for BIWOC and gender diverse people leaders in online civic engagement. It includes educational platforms to host and deliver educational materials, which will provide a central hub for accessing workshops, materials, toolkits and resources related to digital safety, cyber misogyny and advocacy. Also, the comprehensive resource library allows people to access the digital safety curriculum designed by the community, online videos and infographics.

1 Full time

3 Part time

10 Contractors

Platform is registered since 2018 and has worked on digital safety and empowerment solutions since 3 years

Platform, Platform's team and our solution Cyber Bytes, ensure to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusivity by:

-          Recognizing the importance of intersectionality by considering the main challenges faced by Black, Indigenous women and Gender diverse people from diverse backgrounds

-          Ensuring that the project’s content and resources are inclusive and address the specific needs and experiences of a diverse population

-          Developing responsive educational materials, workshops, videos and research reports that take into account the cultural backgrounds, experiences and contexts of the community served.

-          Actively engaging with Black, Indigenous women and Gender diverse people community by involving them with the planning, development and implementation of the project’s sessions.

-          Fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment by using an inclusive language and representation throughout the materials and communication

-          Prioritizing equal accessibility to the resources by making them available for free to a wide range of population

-we are committed to equity as part of our procurement and contracting process. We welcome and encourage applications from members of equity seeking groups including women, transgender, non-binary, and LGBTI individuals; First Nations, Metis, and Inuit individuals, persons with disabilities, and members of racialized and marginalized groups.

- we approach our projects from an intersectional lens and with a firm commitment to foreground the human rights priorities of Black and Indigenous communities, recognizing that Black and Indigenous communities in Canada have always led the struggle to realize their rights.

After the grant ends, Platform would have created digital and in-person educational frameworks. We can grow the offering to more participants, based on demand and availability of funds. Educational material will also be shared with partners and youth-serving organizations, to be utilized as needed. Information material will also be shared regularly on social media, as reminders to our networks around cybersafety tips.