Online Misogyny in Brazil: Law, Internet Governance, and the Struggle for Gender Justice

This open access book tells the story of how Congress and courts have responded to online misogyny and online gender-based violence in Brazil. As thousands of women, young and old, famous and anonymous, are targeted with online violence violating their freedoms in Brazil, civil society has fought for the recognition of the problem of online misogyny in the law. In her exploration of this evolving landscape, Mariana Valente unpacks how the shifting political landscape of the last decade in Brazil has intersected with feminist movements and internet policy discussions, and the resulting legislative developments.

Drawing from almost fifteen years of research, the book brings the key cases and political fights that moved the conversation forward and how Congress and courts responded to the issue. It also deals with how foreign digital platforms gave rise to conflicts between the local and the transnational. Problems such as nonconsensual dissemination of intimate images, hate speech and political violence against women on social media are interwoven with critical legal and social theory. The result is a picture of the centrality of online misogyny to the recent political developments in Brazil and the advances and failures of the law in responding to the problem from an intersectional perspective.

By analysing the fight against online misogyny in one of the largest countries in the world, Online Misogyny in Brazil: Law, Internet Governance, and the Struggle for Gender Justice showcases strategies to achieve one of the main targets of SDG 5: ＂End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere＂.

This is a revised and expanded English edition of a book originally published in Portuguese. The translation of the original manuscript into English was done with the help of artificial intelligence. A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content.

Mariana Valente is a researcher in technology, law, and society. She is especially dedicated to online gender-based violence, access to knowledge, and other issues related to equality, focusing on Brazil and Latin America. She is an assistant professor at the University of St.Gallen, Switzerland, and is one of the directors of InternetLab, an independent research association based in São Paulo.