News Story

KMi is addressing technology‑facilitated gender‑based violence

Friday 17 Apr 2026

Research from KMi is contributing to international debates on technology‑facilitated gender‑based violence (TFGBV), as Prof Miriam Fernandez presents work from The Open University’s Centre for Protecting Women Online (CPWO) across major academic, policy, and public forums.

Earlier this year, Prof Fernandez was an invited speaker at the (Re)Claiming Our Space Conference in Nicosia, organised by the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS). Her talk examined how digital technologies are increasingly weaponised against women and girls, with a particular focus on gendered disinformation and the role of AI‑driven platforms in amplifying harm.

These themes were also explored in a more technical context at the Women in Forensic Computing Workshop, held alongside DFRWS EU 2026 in Sweden. Bringing together researchers and practitioners in digital forensics, law, and AI, the workshop addressed emerging challenges such as deepfakes, AI‑enabled abuse, and the evidential complexity of documenting online harm.

CPWO’s research has also been featured in O’s “So What?” series, helping translate complex findings for wider audiences and highlighting the need for safety‑by‑design, stronger legal frameworks, and improved public understanding of digital harms.

This body of work reflects KMi’s core strengths in Responsible AI, socio‑technical systems, data‑driven social research, and ethical technology design. Strategically, it supports the University’s mission to deliver research with clear public value, benefiting students, informing policy, and contributing to a safer and more equitable digital world.