"I'm a professor, which isn't usually a dangerous job": Internet-facilitated harassment and its impact on researchers
Files
Accepted manuscript
Date
2021-10-13
DOI
Authors
Doerfler, Periwinkle
Forte, Andrea
De Cristofaro, Emiliano
Stringhini, Gianluca
Blackburn, Jeremy
McCoy, Damon
Version
Accepted manuscript
OA Version
Citation
P. Doerfler, A. Forte, E. De Cristofaro, G. Stringhini, J. Blackburn, D. McCoy. 2021. ""I'm a Professor, which isn't usually a dangerous job": Internet-facilitated Harassment and Its Impact on Researchers." Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 5, Issue CSCW2, pp. 1 - 32. https://doi.org/10.1145/3476082
Abstract
While the Internet has dramatically increased the exposure that research can receive, it has also facilitated harassment against scholars. To understand the impact that these attacks can have on the work of researchers, we perform a series of systematic interviews with researchers including academics, journalists, and activists, who have experienced targeted, Internet-facilitated harassment. We provide a framework for understanding the types of harassers that target researchers, the harassment that ensues, and the personal and professional impact on individuals and academic freedom. We then study preventative and remedial strategies available, and the institutions that prevent some of these strategies from being more effective. Finally, we discuss the ethical structures that could facilitate more equitable access to participating in research without serious personal suffering.