Technology-facilitated gender-based violence has affected thousands of women and girls around the world, including in Brazil. UN Women indicates that, despite the serious lack of data on the issue, this form of violence also restricts the participation of women and girls on the Internet and in the public sphere.

In 2022, all types of violence against women increased in Brazil, according to the 17th Brazilian Public Security Yearbook. One manifestation of this phenomenon is stalking, which has been facilitated by technologies, whether through stalkerware, AirTags, or even device location features.

Despite partial data gaps in some states, in Brazil the number of stalking cases rose from 31,189 in 2021 to 56,560 in 2022, an increase of approximately 80%. The Yearbook also notes that “stalking is a risk factor for the occurrence of femicides” and that “technology facilitates control and pervasive violence against women.”

This type of stalking also enables various forms of violence, such as doxxing and the dissemination of sexual exploitation material, in addition to representing a violation of privacy and cybersecurity.

Recently, the collective DDOSecrets leaked data from three companies that provide spyware software. One of these companies, WebDetective, is Brazilian and was monitoring 76,000 mobile phones, including data from end-to-end encrypted messaging applications, according to an assessment by Lucas Lago of the Aaron Swartz Institute.

In addition, these devices have their security weakened by such applications. The lack of data on the use of technology in gender-based stalking further exacerbates the problem. For this reason, we believe that generating knowledge and raising awareness about the use of technologies in stalking is essential to improving public policies to protect girls and women, combating harmful industry practices, and promoting greater digital self-care.

With the support of the British Embassy, the Exposing Stalker(ware) project was developed with the aim of conducting research, advocacy, and communication on technologies that facilitate gender-based violence.

More specifically, the project addresses the availability, use, and impacts of stalkerware and of features that can be or are being used for gender-based stalking, in addition to analyzing the tools available on the global market and their level of diffusion in the Brazilian market.

In parallel, we seek to diagnose and address the information gaps identified by the United Nations on this issue.

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