Disinformation Project research fellow Kayli Taylor said a new report, "Dangerous Speech, Misogyny and Democracy", published recently, highlighted a "rising tide of misogyny around key public figures" in New Zealand.
While the Disinformation Project, an independent research group, had never set out to look at misogyny, the issue had become a focus after the Parliament protests ended in March, she said.
Promoters of disinformation and misinformation related to Covid-19 had pivoted to other issues, particularly around 1080, fluoridation and family.
The accompanying increase in misogyny was an issue because it was likely to affect the willingness of women, gender minorities and other marginalised people to participate in public life.
"Because democracies and good societies are representative, if women, gender minorities and other minorities aren’t willing to have a say and willing to put themselves out there and be visible, that has really damaging implications for the way those voices are heard," Ms Taylor said.
High levels of targeted online misogyny, often expressed in terms far too obscene for print and laden with threats of violence, would affect the choices of women looking at public-service careers, regardless of where they were on the political spectrum.
High-profile targets for the online abuse included the prime minister, female journalists, academics and public servants.
They had experienced targeted harassment, such as abusive emails and the swarming of comment sections.
Less visible forms, such as doxxing, which is the practice of posting someone’s real world personal information to online spaces, had also been noted.
All forms had highly damaging implications for the safety of the targets and the report highlighted the 2016 murder of British MP Jo Cox as a case study.
"The Disinformation Project is increasingly looking at that as a likelihood of happening in this country ... to me that’s deeply concerning.
"I don’t talk about the potential risks to the safety of individuals lightly," Ms Taylor said.
The spread of disinformation narratives laden with misogyny also posed a risk for ordinary people.
"A week ago, we couldn’t have predicted with any sort of evidence that blood-bank workers would be experiencing protests outside their offices, and now they are — what’s to say they won’t be harassed and targeted?"
The report made six recommendations for improving the societal response to the issues outlined in the report, including a full review of the existing legal and civil remedies in the context of online harassment.
