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Silvia Semenzin

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Silvia Semenzin
Silvia Semenzin at TED-X Lake Como
Born (1991-10-24) 24 October 1991 (age 33)
Montebelluna, Italy
NationalityItalian
Alma materUniversity of Milan, University of Turin
Known forImage based sexual abuse
Scientific career
FieldsImage based sexual abuse, Blockchain
InstitutionsUniversidad Complutense de Madrid
Doctoral advisorPaola Alessandra Rebughini, Alessandro Gandini
Websitehttps://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]

Education and career

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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 continued her research on the social aspects of blockchain technologies, while trying to raise awareness on its dangers.[16][17]

Activism and social engagement

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While doing research on image-based sexual abuse, she engaged in advocacy on the topic. In November 2018, she was promoter and spokesperson, 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]

Selected works

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Books

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  • Bainotti, Lucia; Semenzin, Silvia (2021). Donne tutte puttane: revenge porn e maschilità egemone. La città e la metropoli. Andria: Durango edizioni. ISBN 978-88-99476-49-6.

Articles

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "La ragazza che ha lottato per la legge: "Scacco matto a chi ci vuole sottomesse"". www.ilgazzettino.it (in Italian). 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  2. ^ a b c "Revenge porn, Silvia Semenzin: "Quando ho visto le foto delle mie amiche"". Vanity Fair Italia (in Italian). 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  3. ^ a b "Revenge porn is now a crime in Italy". The Independent. 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  4. ^ University of Padua (April 4, 2012). "Ranking list of Erasmus Program Mobility Grants 2012/2013, 1st turn - Political Science" (PDF).
  5. ^ "CRO Cyber Rights Organization, la prima organizzazione europea che difende i diritti umani nel web fondata da due under 35". Skuola.net - Portale per Studenti: Materiali, Appunti e Notizie (in Italian). 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  6. ^ a b "Publications - Silvia Semenzin Profile". P2P Models. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  7. ^ "NASP: Network for the Advancement of Social and Political studies - Silvia Semenzin". nasp.eu. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  8. ^ "La cyber-criminalità contro il commercio in Italia" [Cyber crime against trade in Italy] (PDF). Università degli Studi di Trento. 2017. ISBN 978-88-94891-01-0.
  9. ^ "team – DATACTIVE". Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  10. ^ "Experience Summary & Farewells". pornhub.tracking.exposed. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  11. ^ Semenzin, Silvia; Bainotti, Lucia (Oct 2020). "The Use of Telegram for Non-Consensual Dissemination of Intimate Images: Gendered Affordances and the Construction of Masculinities". Social Media Society. 6 (4): 205630512098445. doi:10.1177/2056305120984453. hdl:2434/828495. ISSN 2056-3051.
  12. ^ ""Uscite le minorenni"". Wired Italia (in Italian). 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  13. ^ Kraus, Rachel (2020-10-29). "Telegram's massive revenge porn problem has made these women's lives hell". Mashable. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  14. ^ "Silvia Semenzin". Festival Internazionale del Giornalismo. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  15. ^ State Research Agency (2021). "Resolución de la presidencia de la agencia estatal de investigación, por la que se resuelve el procedimiento de concesión de las ayudas juan de la cierva-formación, convocatoria 2021" [Resolution of the Presidency of the Spanish National Research Agency, resolving the procedure for granting Juan de la Cierva Training Aid, Call 2021] (PDF). Spanish National Research Agency (Agencia Estatal de Investigación).
  16. ^ "De la moneda social y el blockchain: ¿podrían ayudarnos a acabar con la corrupción y la especulación?". www.lasexta.com (in Spanish). 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  17. ^ "Evolución de las criptomonedas: cuánto habríamos ganado invirtiendo 50 euros en 2011 y cuánto en 2021". www.lasexta.com (in Spanish). 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  18. ^ "Intimità violata: dalla Marca la petizione per chiedere una legge contro il "revenge porn"". TrevisoToday (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  19. ^ a b "Revenge porn, Boldrini accoglie petizione su Change.org e annuncia proposta di legge bipartisan". la Repubblica (in Italian). 2018-12-10. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  20. ^ ""Basta diffondere immagini intime per vendetta": da Montebelluna la raccolta firme lanciata da Silvia". www.oggitreviso.it. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  21. ^ "Revenge porn in Sardegna, l'orrenda chat che umilia le ragazze denunciata da Insieme in Rete". Giornalettismo (in Italian). 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  22. ^ ""Basta vendette sessuali e donne umiliate in chat": la sfida di una ragazza di Montebelluna". Tribuna di Treviso (in Italian). 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  23. ^ "Petizione dei record per una legge sul revenge porn: "Spesso le vittime sono inconsapevoli" | VIDEO". Giornalettismo (in Italian). 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  24. ^ "Il revenge porn è molto più diffuso di quanto pensiamo. E una legge non basta a combatterlo". THE VISION (in Italian). 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  25. ^ ""Lotto contro la violenza sui social"". nuvola.corriere.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  26. ^ Gen Playz - Filtraciones sexuales en redes (in Spanish), 2022-09-13, retrieved 2024-03-27
  27. ^ "In Spagna un algoritmo valuta il rischio di violenza contro le donne. Ma ha fallito". Wired Italia (in Italian). 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  28. ^ "Che cosa passa per la testa di un uomo che fa revenge porn". GQ Italia (in Italian). 2021-04-08. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  29. ^ "Digital Service Act, la sociologa: "Molto da fare contro la violenza online" - Italia - Ansa.it". Agenzia ANSA (in Italian). 2023-08-25. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  30. ^ "Els perills del 'deep fake': "Ser dona ja és una amenaça per a la teva intimitat"". RAC1 (in Catalan). Aug 12, 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  31. ^ Semenzin, Silvia (2023-12-14). "Regulators are Failing to Combat Revenge Porn". CEPA. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  32. ^ von Hodenberg, Anna-Lena; Semenzin, Silvia; Mclaren, Shanley Clemot (Apr 14, 2022). "The human cost of the EU's fragmented approach to tackling image-based sexual abuse". Euractiv.
  33. ^ "Press". Silvia Semenzin. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  34. ^ Semenzin, Silvia (2021-09-17), Is digital activism possible?, retrieved 2024-03-27
  35. ^ Tecnologia vs. Umanità | Silvia Semenzin | TEDxLakeComo, retrieved 2024-03-27
  36. ^ "Io non odio, e tu?". Amnesty International Italia (in Italian). 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  37. ^ "Il rapporto di Save the Children: il 65% degli adolescenti dichiara di essersi sentito controllato dal partner almeno una volta". La Stampa (in Italian). 2024-02-13. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  38. ^ "Towards a European Policy against Online Image-Based Sexual Abuse". CAIS (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  39. ^ ""I finally knew I was in the right place" – notes from the first-ever Global Summit on Image-Based Sexual Abuse". www.panoramaglobal.org. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  40. ^ "Conoce a Isabella Nuques, activista que impulsó la Ley de Violencia Digital en Ecuador". sprinforma.mx. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  41. ^ Durán González, Jhanela Anahí (2022). Análisis de la Ley de Violencia Digital en Ecuador: una mirada a las experiencias de la violencia machista en el ámbito digital (masterThesis thesis). Quito, EC: Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Sede Ecuador.
  42. ^ ""Il revenge porn è la trasposizione digitale della cultura dello stupro"". lespresso.it (in Italian). 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  43. ^ Bainotti, Lucia; Semenzin, Silvia (2021). Donne tutte puttane: Revenge porn e maschilità egemone. La città e la metropoli. Andria: Durango edizioni. ISBN 978-88-99476-49-6.
  44. ^ "Abuse and anger: inside the online groups spreading stolen, sexual images". South China Morning Post. 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  45. ^ "Il Revenge Porn non è né vendetta né pornografia: è violenza di genere contro le donne". Fanpage (in Italian). 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  46. ^ "chi siamo". Virgin & Martyr (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  47. ^ "Cyber Rights Organization". Cyber Rights Organization. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  48. ^ "What is 'revenge porn' and are there laws to protect you? Here's what you need to know". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  49. ^ "Silvia Semenzin | Il Caffè Geopolitico". ilcaffegeopolitico.net (in Italian). 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  50. ^ "Elecciones italianas 2018: una análisis con la mente fría" (in Spanish). 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  51. ^ "Silvia Semenzin – ROOSTERGNN" (in Spanish). 2015-06-19. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  52. ^ "TEDxLakeComo | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
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