What does consent look like on Digital Platforms in India?

Durga Hole

Around the world, the majority of women encounter and endure discrimination and dehumanization daily. As times change, scrolling on the phone provides women more autonomy. These days, it is commonplace to check in on them and browse through various people’s social media activity.

Most women who manage social media accounts may be aware of how strangers or even familiar people ask to speak on their accounts. Many of us have come to view the male gaze as “interesting in me,” although numerous women may be speaking with one another, which is a good way to get to know one another. Family dissatisfaction may often arise from certain behaviors of women who seek validation or attention from others, even in inappropriate or unusual ways. 

In India, consent is typically interpreted as the absence of “no” rather than the presence of “yes” (RAINN, n.d.). Publicly available songs and films cater to this type of narration primarily. Smiling, maintaining eye contact, and nodding were among the few gestures that indicated the parameter by the female. As mentioned, chatting with someone is also seen as being interesting. One-sided narration and assumption generally fueled the conversation beyond friendship, which led to sharing private information with the behind-the-screen individual.

Furthermore, this private information can become a tool to threaten to manipulate action according to their will and desire. Not new, multiple, and so far, many movies and websites have depicted the storyline around the issues, which generally ends with suicides, victim blaming, anxiety, depression, or, most entertainingly, being protected by a male antagonist. According to UN Women (2025), millions of women and girls face digital abuse and technology-facilitated violence (TFGBV) each year.

As technology becomes more central to daily life, it is increasingly misused to harm women in ways that often go beyond screens, threatening their safety at home, work, and in public spaces. As in-person crime went digital, we women experienced cyberbullying, hate speech, sexual exploitation, defamation, intimate image-sharing, sextortion, and revenge porn. Due to the influence of patriarchal structures, women are not confined to facing challenges in physical spaces alone—they experience the effects of toxic masculinity on a global scale (O’Brien, 2024). However, the question arises of who is the next person to trigger such extreme steps to harass and exploit the vulnerable. 

The offenders are typically from familiar or nearby areas and are not from outside. They either loiter after initiating communication in order to satiate their sexual desire through gaze. Once the personal data has been stolen, the criminal never stops because they always want to use the next victim. More significantly, what prevents women from acting promptly before things get out of control? 

Women are always fighting for a better future for themselves and their children. She even fights with her drunken husband, so why did not she do something when everything was happening to her against her will? All women are fully aware that rather than helping them during their time of vulnerability, they will all point the finger at her.

Most importantly, as we have seen in Indian rape and molestation cases, everyone condemns and disparages her for their actions, even if they are just brief conversations. In summary, our society will begin with victim blaming, especially when it comes to gender-based violence. If something happened late at night, ask why you were there. This is a common question for women. One might ask, “Why did you go alone?” if you were by yourself. Why did you dress this way to make an impression, etc.? This usually undermines the woman’s confidence because, rather than trusting her, she starts to doubt her personality and the circumstances. Women have firsthand experience with this reality, though it is not concealed from everyone.

The perpetrator from the same community can easily misuse the situation to blackmail or threaten the woman by spreading the information to her family, online, or within her friend circle. This often leaves her feeling vulnerable and lacking confidence in handling the situation. Defamation is the main reason she is unable to make the right decisions, even though she is fully aware that everything that is happening to her is wrong and illegal.

The main, widely acknowledged explanation for this is that she made a mistake because, as women, we are constantly taught by our families from an early age that “you should consciously take your decision because it not only ruins your individual life but also defames her whole family.”

Consequently, she suffers more than anything else in an attempt to claim everything as her own since she fails to communicate her mental anguish to those around her. TFGBV is primarily attacked psychologically, followed by physical assault. Initiating or choosing to chat or communicate digitally was the first step, and this was initially regarded as consent; other actions were deemed irresponsible. 

Furthermore, the investigating agency lacks the capacity to handle these crimes with greater care and vigilance. As with victim blaming, it begins where justice ought to be served. In 2020, 29.8% of convictions for crimes against women, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), occurred in India (Kern, 2024). In other words, more than two out of every three cases that were reported were either acquitted or discharged. The fact that the entire system is in control is actually not surprising at all, but it is worrisome because the victim, who is already going through hardship, may be determined by this outcome.

However, blaming a systemic and male-dominated society alone cannot be the answer; instead, we must precisely address GBV, especially in the digital sphere where all women are at risk. However, creating an inclusive environment is crucial by incorporating social media safety measures to stop sexism and criminal activity in addition to financial ones.

Making oneself safe is not the aim, but rather the safety of our entire community, so even a small amount of instability from anyone should be reported and result in a block so that others can have a safe place. More importantly, it is important to teach the next generation that she will not be traveling alone, no matter what. This message should be introduced at the school level, as it is the first stage of learning. At the same time, it must also be strongly reinforced within the family. Therefore, a daughter, daughter-in-law, or sister-in-law should not suffer because she chats with a stranger, which is interpreted as giving her permission to do anything. 

References 

About the contributor: Durga Hole is an independent researcher with experience as an educator, researcher, and social worker. Their work focuses on education, social justice, and marginalized communities, particularly supporting first-generation learners. Durga has contributed to prisoner rehabilitation, policy intervention research, and grassroots education initiatives.

Acknowledgements: The author extends sincere gratitude to Impact and Policy Research Institute India team for reviewing the article and for providing the opportunity to write the article.

Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.

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