Women of Color Running for Congress Face Increased Attacks on X, Report Finds

The report analyzed 800,000 posts on the service that were directed at Congressional candidates.

The Digital Battle of Women of Color for Congress

Women of color running for Congress in 2024 have faced a disproportionate number of attacks on platform X, compared to other candidates, according to a recent report by the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) and the University of Pittsburgh.

An Alarming Study

The study aimed to “compare the levels of offensive speech and hate speech targeting various congressional candidate groups, focusing particularly on women of color”.

The report’s authors analyzed 800,000 tweets over three months, from May 20 to August 23 of this year, covering all posts mentioning a congressional candidate with an account on X.

Disturbing Findings

The researchers found that over 20% of the posts targeting Black and Asian female candidates “contained offensive remarks about the candidate”.

They also noted that Black women were especially prone to hate speech, with “less than 1% of all tweets mentioning a candidate containing hate speech,” according to the report.

Necessary Measures

The report underscores the need for platforms like X to implement “specific measures” to counteract these issues.

“This should include clear policies prohibiting race or gender-based attacks, greater transparency in managing such attacks, improved reporting tools, accountability methods, regular risk assessments with a focus on race and gender, and privacy safeguards for independent researchers.”

The consequences of maintaining the status quo, where women of color are disproportionately targeted by online attacks, pose a significant barrier to creating a truly inclusive democracy.