Silvia Semenzin
Italian author and activist (born 1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
Silvia Semenzin | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | 24 October 1991 |
| Education | University of Milan, University of Turin |
| Known for | Image based sexual abuse |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Image based sexual abuse, Blockchain |
| Workplaces | Universidad Complutense de Madrid |
| Paola Alessandra Rebughini, Alessandro Gandini | |
| Website | https://www.silviasemenzin.it |
Education and career
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
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
Books
- 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
- Rama, Ilir; Bainotti, Lucia; Gandini, Alessandro; Giorgi, Giulia; Semenzin, Silvia; Agosti, Claudio; Corona, Giulia; Romano, Salvatore (2023-04-03). "The platformization of gender and sexual identities: an algorithmic analysis of Pornhub". Porn Studies. 10 (2): 154–173. doi:10.1080/23268743.2022.2066566. ISSN 2326-8743.
- Semenzin, Silvia; Rozas, David; Hassan, Samer (2022-07-26). "Blockchain-based application at a governmental level: disruption or illusion? The case of Estonia". Policy and Society. 41 (3): 386–401. doi:10.1093/polsoc/puac014. ISSN 1449-4035.
- Semenzin, Silvia; Gandini, Alessandro (2021-02-01). "Automating Trust with the Blockchain? A Critical Investigation of "Blockchain 2.0" Cultures". Global Perspectives. 2 (1) 24912. doi:10.1525/gp.2021.24912. hdl:2434/854985.
- Semenzin, Silvia; Bainotti, Lucia (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.