• Before the COVID-19 outbreak, online abuse of female journalists and women human rights defenders, in the form of cyber violence, presented serious threats to the freedom of expression and of the media.246 Online harassment of both male and female journalists has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with cases in a number of participating States of harassment and abuse following investigations by journalists and human rights defenders into government responses to the crisis.247 States of emergency, when accompanied by increased surveillance and collection of personal data, require special attention to the risks that such data will be misused, impinging on women’s rights to privacy and data protection, as well as their freedom of opinion and expression. Recommended actions to protect women’s rights Efforts should be made to ensure that women can benefit equally from technology that provides health information, taking into consideration groups of women who are more likely to be excluded due to the gender digital divide (which intersects with age, location in rural and remote areas, income and educational levels, etc.) Protection for women and girls at risk of cyber violence, including data protection and safeguarding in virtual spaces and protection that extends to the “real world”, should be increased, through strengthening the law enforcement and legal responses to this form of gender-based violence. When emergency measures are put in place, increased priority should be given to building the capacity of the criminal justice system to recognize and respond to cyber violence against women and girls, as well as to improving industry safeguarding. Women’s perspectives in the development of technologies used to address crisis situations should be included, in order to find solutions to gender gaps and to ensure contact tracing and tracking apps, as well as other digital technologies, maintain data protection, while also being “fit for purpose.” 246 OSCE, “#SOFJO: Why Online Attacks on Female Journalists Are an Affront to Plurality, Media Freedom and Democracy”, 2 December 2018, <https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/405026>. 247 Reporters Without Borders, “Platforms Urged to Prevent Harassment of Journalists Covering Covid-19”, 11 May 2020, <https://rsf.org/en/news/platforms-urged-prevent-harassment-journalists-covering-covid-19>. 70