Protecting the vulnerable online: Global lawmakers push for new digital safety standards
From digital deepfakes to economic exploitation, global experts reveal how online threats are evolving faster than current laws can contain them.
At the 2025 Internet Governance Forum in Lillestrøm, Norway, a parliamentary session titled ‘Click with Care: Protecting Vulnerable Groups Online’ gathered lawmakers, regulators, and digital rights experts from around the world to confront the urgent issue of online harm targeting marginalised communities. Speakers from Uganda, the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Kenya shared insights on how current laws often fall short, especially in the Global South where women, children, and LGBTQ+ groups face disproportionate digital threats.
Research presented showed alarming trends—one in three African women experience online abuse, often with no support or recourse, and platforms’ moderation systems are frequently inadequate, slow, or biassed in favor of users from the Global North.
The session exposed critical gaps in enforcement and accountability, particularly regarding large platforms like Meta and Google, which frequently resist compliance with national regulations. Malaysian Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching and others emphasised that individual countries struggle to hold tech giants accountable, leading to calls for stronger regional blocs and international cooperation.
Meanwhile, Philippine lawmaker Raoul Manuel highlighted legislative progress, including extraterritorial jurisdiction for child exploitation and expanded definitions of online violence, though enforcement remains patchy. In Pakistan, Nighat Dad raised the alarm over AI-generated deepfakes and the burden placed on victims to monitor and report their own abuse.
Panellists also stressed that simply taking down harmful content isn’t enough. They called for systemic platform reform, including greater algorithm transparency, meaningful reporting tools, and design changes that prevent harm before it occurs.
Behavioural economist Sandra Maximiano introduced the concept of ‘nudging’ safer user behavior through design interventions that account for human cognitive biases—approaches that could complement legal strategies by embedding protection into the architecture of online spaces.
Why does it matter?
A powerful takeaway from the session was the consensus that online safety must be treated as both a technological and human challenge. Participants agreed that coordinated global responses, inclusive policymaking, and engagement with community structures are essential to making the internet a safer place—particularly for those who need protection the most.
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