RAPID: SaTC: COVID-19 and sexual cyberviolence: Impact on general users and vulnerable populations

COVID-19大流行迫使不同的美国人依赖互联网进行工作、学习和社交。流行的游戏平台、成人娱乐网站和视频会议应用程序的使用量自疫情开始以来已经有所增加。随着网络技术的使用越来越多，联邦调查局（FBI）于2020年4月发布了一项建议，警告互联网用户与COVID-19相关的性勒索计划大幅增加。在这个项目中，佛罗里达国际大学（FIU）和网络民权倡议（CCRI）正在合作，以了解和解决自大流行开始以来各种形式的网络性暴力的增加。具体而言，该项目将使用定量和定性研究来确定大流行期间向在线交流的转变可能促进网络性暴力增加的方式，以及这种增加如何与来自不同背景的美国成年人的福祉相关。预计这项研究将增进公众的福利和安全，特别是弱势和边缘化群体的福利和安全。该研究还将促进与用户隐私和用户安全相关的技术创新和设计的进步。该研究将网络性暴力定义为包括非自愿色情（也称为“复仇色情”），性勒索，记录性侵犯，doxing，deepfakes，网络骚扰，网络跟踪和网络约会暴力。这项研究的第一个目标是（1）促进对网络性虐待受害的流行率，受害的风险因素，以及在COVID-19大流行期间不同美国成年人受害的后果的科学知识。为了实现这一目标，该项目将使用具有全国代表性的样本进行调查，从包括妇女、种族和族裔少数群体、性取向少数群体和年轻人在内的弱势群体中进行过度抽样。调查参与者将被要求完成网络性虐待受害风险因素的测量（例如，信息和通信技术的使用，性别角色信念，社会支持水平），大流行期间网络性虐待受害情况的衡量标准（例如，网络骚扰和网络约会暴力），以及预期作为网络性虐待受害后果的措施（例如，心理、健康、经济和法律的结果指标）。本研究的第二个目标（2）是为ICT用户、服务提供商和公司提供切实可行的建议，以防止网络性暴力并减少其危害。为实现这一目标，将对在大流行期间遭受网络性虐待的40名男性和40名女性进行访谈，并与法律的和技术专家进行访谈。研究结果将为公共和私营部门的指导方针提供信息，包括用户的数字安全战略;立法机构的最佳实践政策建议;以及执法和社会服务提供者的实用指导。这些建议旨在为社会做出实用和有意义的贡献，特别是在未来需要居民使用信息和通信技术进行高水平日常活动的情况下。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced diverse Americans to rely on the internet for work, study, and socializing. Already, popular gaming platforms, adult entertainment sites, and video conferencing applications have reported increases in use since the start of the pandemic. In conjunction with the increased use of online technologies, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) released an advisory in April 2020 warning internet users of a significant increase in sexual extortion schemes specifically tied to COVID-19. In this project, Florida International University (FIU) and Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI) are partnering to understand and address increases in various forms of cyber sexual violence since the start of the pandemic. Specifically, this project will use quantitative and qualitative research to determine the ways in which the shift to online communication during the pandemic may have facilitated an increase in cyber sexual violence, and how that increase relates to the well-being of U.S. adults from different backgrounds. It is anticipated that this research will enhance the welfare and safety of the general public, especially for vulnerable and marginalized populations. The research will also promote the progress of technological innovation and design as relates to user privacy and user safety. The research defines cyber sexual violence to include nonconsensual pornography (also known as “revenge porn”), sexual extortion, recorded sexual assault, doxing, deepfakes, cyber-harassment, cyber-stalking, and cyber dating violence. The first objective of this research is (1) to advance scientific knowledge on the prevalence of cyber sexual abuse victimization, the risk factors for victimization, and the consequences of victimization among diverse U.S. adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this objective the project will conduct a survey using a nationally-representative sample, oversampling from vulnerable populations including women, racial and ethnic minorities, sexual orientation minorities, and young adults. Survey participants will be asked to complete measures of risk factors for cyber sexual abuse victimization (e.g., ICT usage, gender role beliefs, level of social support), measures of cyber sexual abuse victimization during the pandemic (e.g., cyber-harassment and cyber dating violence), and measures expected to function as consequences of cyber sexual abuse victimization (e.g., indicators of psychological, health, economic, and legal outcomes). The second objective of this research (2) is to create practical recommendations for ICT users, service providers, and companies to prevent cyber sexual violence and reduce its harms. To achieve this, interviews with a diverse sample of 40 men and 40 women who have been victims of cyber sexual abuse during the pandemic will be conducted, as well as interviews with legal and technological experts. The research findings will inform public and private sector guidelines, including digital safety strategies for users; best-practice policy suggestions for legislatures; and practical guidance for law enforcement and social service providers. The recommendations are intended to serve as an applied and meaningful contribution to society, particularly in future instances where residents are required to perform a high level of daily activities using information and communications technologies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.