Forget the myth that online violence happens only on dark web forums or sketchy chatrooms. In 2025, digital violence is mainstream – and it disproportionately affects women.
According to the latest Clusit 2025 Cybersecurity Report, digital stalking cases in Italy rose from 158 in 2022 to 185 in 2024, with 68% of victims being women. Revenge porn still hurts hundreds – 266 cases last year – while online harassment remains stubbornly widespread with 545 reports, 62% involving female victims. Add to that 1,525 sextortion incidents and hundreds of romance scams targeting women around their 50s, and you get the picture.
These aren’t isolated crimes. They are digital extensions of offline power dynamics, amplified by technology. When control meets connectivity, abuse gets an upgrade.
The Five Faces of Digital Violence
Let’s call them by name – and stop pretending they’re just “tech issues.” They all share one trait: emotional engineering. And behind every screen, there’s a person learning the hard way that digital intimacy has physical consequences.
- Digital stalking
This is the dark side of digital attention – obsessive control of someone’s online activity, or even the impersonation of another person by stealing their digital identity. It can look like endless messaging, sudden appearances in public spaces, or “checking in” through shared apps and geotags. What makes digital stalking dangerous is its subtlety: it often hides under concern – “I just want to know you’re safe.” But when safety turns into surveillance, it becomes violence. - Online harassment
From anonymous insults to orchestrated smear campaigns, online harassment weaponizes visibility. It can take the form of sexualized comments, manipulated photos, or waves of hate aimed at silencing a voice. For many women, social media becomes a double-edged sword – a platform for expression and a battlefield for dignity. The emotional cost is real: anxiety, withdrawal, and fear of being online at all. - Revenge porn
When intimacy becomes ammunition, digital violence reaches one of its cruelest forms. Revenge porn – or non-consensual sharing of intimate content – is not about sex, it’s about power and humiliation. Victims are often blackmailed, threatened, or publicly shamed. Even after removal, the content’s echo lingers like a permanent scar on one’s digital identity. - Sextortion
In sextortion schemes, attackers use stolen or fabricated intimate material to extort money, favors, or silence. Sometimes, the “proof” doesn’t even exist – but fear makes it real. Victims, men and women alike, are trapped between shame and panic. Awareness is the antidote: never pay, never negotiate, and report immediately. - Romance scams
The most poetic – and tragic – form of digital violence. Scammers craft believable emotional connections over weeks or months, posing as soldiers, doctors, or entrepreneurs in crisis. They manipulate empathy into currency. These scams don’t just steal money – they steal trust, leaving deep psychological wounds and lifelong caution.
What’s at Stake Isn’t Just Data – It’s Dignity
Digital violence isn’t about technology misused – it’s about power redistributed. Each message, click, or shared photo can become a weapon when trust is hacked. The most terrifying part? How invisible the crime can feel.
That’s why the Italian U.A.C.I. (Unità di Analisi Crimine Informatico) has been training law enforcement to detect early signs of tech-mediated control and other red flags – like partners who demand geolocation access or proof of affection through constant messaging.
How to Stay Human in a Digital Warzone
You don’t need paranoia, but you definitely need awareness. Here’s your quick syllabus for digital self-defense:
- Use 2FA like sunscreen – you may not notice it daily, but one day it’ll save your skin.
- Think before you click – if a message triggers emotion before logic, it’s probably bait.
- Never share what you wouldn’t want projected on a billboard in Piazza del Duomo.
- Everything. Outdated devices are like open windows in a high-crime neighborhood.
- Audit your apps. You don’t need 50 permissions to use a flashlight.
- And when something feels wrong – don’t go silent. Reach out to digital-safety organizations or professional responders.
#SafeDigitalYou: Cybersecurity With Empathy
HWG Sababa doesn’t just protect networks – it protects people. When phishing waves, identity theft, or spyware attacks hit, HWG Sababa’s analysts translate chaos into clarity.
Through training and awareness programs for teams, schools, and executives, they teach how to recognize manipulation before malware. Because cybersecurity isn’t just a firewall – it’s a mindset.
The web was built to connect us. It still can – if we build it with consent, respect, and critical awareness. Digital violence may never fully disappear, but awareness turns victims into voices and professionals into allies. Technology should remain a tool of freedom, not control. Start by protecting yourself – and by teaching others that cybersecurity is self-care.
