Silvia Semenzin | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | Italian |
Alma mater | University of Milan, University of Turin |
Known for | Image based sexual abuse |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Image based sexual abuse, Blockchain |
Institutions | Universidad Complutense de Madrid |
Doctoral advisor | Paola Alessandra Rebughini, Alessandro Gandini |
Website | https://www.silviasemenzin.it |
Silvia Semenzin is an Italian author, scholar and activist, whose work focuses on gender-related violence, digital rights, and emerging technologies, especially blockchain. She is best known for her research and advocacy on image-based sexual abuse (revenge porn), which prompted the Italian law on the topic.[1][2][3]
Semenzin studied a BA in Political Science at the University of Padua, with an Erasmus exchange at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM).[4] She studied an MA in Social Communication at the same UCM, and later a joint PhD in Digital Sociology by both the University of Milan and the University of Turin.[5] Her PhD explored the blockchain imaginaries, examining power dynamics and algorithmic discrimination in digitally-mediated contexts.[6][7]
During her PhD, she worked for the University of Trento researching cybercrime.[8] She also collaborated with the ERC grant team of Stefania Milan at the University of Amsterdam,[9] with data-tracking of Pornhub.[10] In this period she researched image-based sexual abuse in Telegram groups,[11] which drew international attention.[12][13]
After her PhD, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the UCM, in the ERC grant team of Samer Hassan,[6] and as a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam.[14] She later obtained a Juan de la Cierva post-doc scholarship to continue her work at UCM.[15] In this period, she has researched continued her research on the social aspects of blockchain technologies, while trying to raise awareness on its dangers.[16][17]
While doing research on image-based sexual abuse, she engaged in advocacy on the topic. In November 2018, she was promoter and spokeperson, with the aid of Amnesty International[2] and other organizations, of the Italian national campaign “Intimità Violata” to ask for a law against image-based sexual abuse (revenge porn).[18] An online petition gathered 80,000 signatories in two weeks,[19] and gathered ample media attention.[19][20][21][22] The campaign attracted the support of politicians like former President of the Parliament Laura Boldrini,[23] especially after the dismissal of the Tiziana Cantone suicide case.[24] A few months later, in April 2019 the Italian Parliament passed a law criminalizing image-based sexual abuse,[3] rendering the campaign a success.
Since then, she has become an advocate on online gender-related violence matters,[25] regularly speaking on international media like RTVE,[26] Vanity Fair,[2] Wired,[27] GQ,[28] ANSA,[29] RAC 1,[30] and others.[31][32][33] She has spoken on the topic in multiple international forums, including two TED Talks,[34][35] Amnesty International,[36] Save the Children,[37] the EU,[38] or the global summit on the topic.[39] She also played a key role in implementing a law against online sexual violence in Ecuador.[40][41] She wrote a book on the topic,[42][43] and in line with her appeals for better education on these issues,[44][45] she co-founded an NGO on sex education.[46]
Concerning her advocacy of digital rights, she sits on the board of the Dutch Cyber Rights Organization,[47] which has advocated for non-discrimination clauses in the EU Artificial Intelligence Act.[48] Besides, she has worked as a journalist for several digital newspapers, in Italy,[49] Spain,[50][51] and an US online debate platform.[52]