Digital violence against women amplified by AI-driven algorithms in Spain and Colombia
Reports from Spain and Colombia document widespread AI-amplified digital violence against women, including deepfakes, harassment campaigns and non-consensual content sharing. Both countries report that algorithms rewarding polarization and AI tools enabling automated attacks are accelerating gender-based harassment, with the majority of incidents unreported due to institutional distrust.
What happened
In Spain, the Ministry of Equality released a report on digital violence revealing that 80% of young women aged 16–24 have suffered online harassment on social networks. The report states that 70% of annual complaints received by the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) against digital platforms concern digital violence against women.
The report identifies harassment, non-consensual pornography, deepfakes, private data disclosure, and disinformation campaigns as forms of digital violence primarily affecting women, amplified by algorithms that reward polarization. In Colombia, a study by the Observatory for Women's Equity found that 53% of women entrepreneurs and workers surveyed in Medellín, Cali and Bogotá have experienced digital gender violence.
The Colombian study identifies sextortion, sexual deepfakes, identity spoofing, and smear campaigns as emerging AI-driven forms of attack. International organizations warn that AI tools are enabling automated harassment campaigns and mass attacks targeting women journalists, activists and public figures.
Reported impact
The Spanish Ministry stated that digital violence disproportionately affects women with public voices, including 58.2% of European parliamentarians and 73% of journalists, influencers and activists. In Colombia, the majority of digital violence cases never reach authorities, with less than 8% of affected women filing complaints due to distrust of institutions and underestimation of such attacks.
Index analysis
The failure to remove harmful content and moderate platforms allows gender-based harassment to persist and escalate. Algorithms optimized for engagement amplify polarizing content, creating what the Spanish report terms the 'manosfera' (male-dominated online spaces) as the primary mechanism of digital aggression against women.
Governance controls
The Spanish government has announced plans to prohibit platform access to minors under 16 and to pursue platforms that fail to remove hate content. The Ministry of Equality emphasized the need for regulatory oversight, stating that if democracy is about control, platforms cannot operate outside it.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.