Online Abuse Targets Environmental Defenders: Facebook Tops List
Activists Face Rising Digital Threats, Undermining Crucial Work
Environmental defenders, who safeguard vital ecosystems, are increasingly falling victim to online harassment and abuse, with Facebook identified as the most problematic platform, a new survey reveals.
Platform Abuse Skyrockets
A comprehensive survey by Global Witness found that a staggering 92% of land and environmental defenders have experienced some form of online abuse. This abuse ranges from cyberattacks and doxxing—the unauthorized release of personal information—to direct harassment and threats.
The impact on defenders is profound, with 60% reporting anxiety and 63% experiencing fear for their safety and that of their communities. Productivity also suffers, with 45% of those surveyed noting a decline in their work output.
Facebook Dominates as Hotbed for Abuse
Facebook is cited as the platform where environmental defenders most frequently face online abuse, followed by X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp, and Instagram. This trend emerges as many major social media companies have weakened their content moderation policies.
X, under new ownership, dissolved its Trust and Safety Council and removed a feature for reporting misinformation. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced it would end its third-party fact-checking program in the US and relax hate speech policies, moves criticized for potentially enabling the unchecked spread of dangerous content.
“They have said things like, ‘If I were there, I would run you over with my car,’ or ‘This is why I have a shotgun.’ I reported these threats to Facebook, who said they would investigate, but nothing seems to have happened.”
—Fanø, Climate Activist
Despite reporting abusive behavior, almost three-quarters of defenders received unsatisfactory responses from platforms, with only 12% expressing satisfaction with the actions taken.
Disparities in Platform Response and Offline Impact
Regional differences in platform support are stark. While 72% of European defenders reported receiving a response to their complaints, half of those surveyed in Africa received no reply at all. This suggests a critical gap in how platforms allocate resources to protect activists globally.
The online threats are often linked to real-world violence. Seventy-five percent of defenders who experienced offline harm believed their online abuse contributed directly or indirectly to it. Notably, 84% of those who suffered offline harm were from Africa, Latin America, and Asia, regions already identified as perilous for environmental work.
Last year, 196 defenders were murdered, with Latin America bearing the brunt of these killings, often due to poor legal protections and land disputes. Environmental defenders play a vital role; for instance, Indigenous peoples alone manage approximately 20% of Earth’s land, which harbors 80% of the planet’s biodiversity.
One activist noted the connection between online and offline attacks: “They are trying to silence us. These are tactics and strategies that they use to try to malign us, and put fear into us.”
This isn’t an isolated issue. A 2023 survey indicated that 39% of climate scientists faced online harassment, rising to 49% for more senior researchers, with X and Facebook being primary platforms for such abuse. The United Nations reported in 2022 that 44% of defenders working on climate issues faced legal harassment, with a concerning rise in digitally-enabled threats impacting their critical work protecting the planet. (UN News, 2022).
