Digital violence in public spaces

Digital technologies connect us regardless of time and place. They have expanded public space, which should be a place where everyone can move freely and safely. However, the way platforms are built and the way we interact online reinforce existing forms of violence: discrimination, sexualised violence and intimidation.

Digital technologies amplify violence

Nowhere to escape

Digital violence never takes a break. Through smartphones it reaches people around the clock – at home, at work or on the move. Being physically far away from the abuser offers no protection.

The internet never forgets

Once something is online, it is almost impossible to delete it completely. Content gets screenshotted, archived or uploaded again. This means digital violence can catch up with people years later.

Algorithms amplify violence

Platforms are not neutral spaces. Algorithms show whatever gets a reaction. Content that causes outrage or attacks someone reaches more people than factual posts. As a result, attacks on individuals spread faster and further.

One click is all it takes

A picture or a post can reach thousands of people within minutes and spread across platforms and countries. For the person affected, it becomes almost impossible to keep track of who is sharing the content and where it appears.

Digital violence hits young people especially hard as their social and digital life can hardly be separated. Find out more here.

Consequences of digital violence in public spaces

Impact

Digital violence is real violence: it can cause anxiety, depression and trauma, and even lead to suicidal thoughts. In cases of doxing, it can also put people’s physical safety at risk.

Digitalisation also deepens inequalities, as groups that already face discrimination are particularly affected.

Democracy is at risk too: out of fear, journalists and activists go quiet, which limits the range of opinions in public debate. This is known as "silencing".

Finally, digital violence comes at a cost: people affected can miss out on career opportunities or lose their jobs, and legal action is expensive. Digital violence harms not only individuals but society as a whole.

The main forms of violence in digital spaces where the perpetrator and the person affected do not know each other

Note: : Each form of violence includes a section on the legal situation in Switzerland. This information is a first guide only and does not replace legal advice. Legal proceedings can take a long time, be expensive and stressful. For advice on a specific case, it is best to contact a victim support center or a legal expert.

Hate speech

What is hate speech online?

Hate speech refers to any statements or content that insult, demean or discriminate against a person or group on the basis of certain identity characteristics (such as origin, gender, sexual orientation or religion).

If a message does not specifically target such a characteristic but is still insulting, threatening or vulgar, it is referred to as toxic content.

Legal situation in Switzerland

Possible criminal offences:

  • discrimination and incitement to hatred (Art. 261bis SCC)
  • public incitement to commit a felony or act of violence (Art. 259 SCC)
  • wilful defamation (Art. 173 SCC)
  • defamation (Art. 174 SCC)
  • insult (Art. 177 SCC)
  • threatening behaviour (Art. 180 SCC)

What can you do about online hate?

What can you do about online hate?

1. Talk about it
If you are affected, it is not your fault. Tell someone you trust about what has happened. A professional can also help.

2. Keep evidence
Take screenshots. Make sure the date and the link or platform are visible. This means you still have evidence if the post is deleted later. Screenshots are important if you decide to report the matter to the police.

3. Report the content
Always report offensive or degrading posts to the platform.

4. Block the people responsible

More information
The Stop Hate Speech platform offers practical help for people who are affected. For example, it has a guide to protecting yourself online (currently only available in French). It explains how to deal with hateful comments, how to protect your personal data and what your rights are.

You can make a difference, even if you are not affected yourself
If you see hate online, do not stay silent. Studies show that empathetic counter-speech (replies that encourage compassion for the people being targeted) can effectively reduce hateful comments. Find out more here.

Doxing

Private information made public

Doxing is when someone collects private information about a person and shares it publicly without their permission. This can include their home address, phone number, employer or family members.

The aim is to get other people to harass the person or threaten to hurt them. Often, just knowing that others can find them is enough to make people feel scared.

Legal situation in Switzerland

Possible criminal offences:

  • Obtaining personal data without permission (Art. 179novies SCC)
  • Threats (Art. 180 SCC)
  • Coercion (Art. 181 SCC)
  • Stalking (Art. 181b SCC)

What can you do about doxing?

You can ask Google to remove sensitive information, such as your address or phone number, from its search results. You can take similar steps on other platforms.

A few simple steps can help you protect your accounts and data better.

Trained professionals at victim support centres can help and support you. If you are in danger, call the police on 117 or an ambulance on 144.

Digital sexual violence

Sexual abuse and technology

Image-based sexual abuse means creating or sharing intimate images of someone without their consent, or threatening to share them. This includes real photos and videos, including ones taken secretly without the person knowing. Examples are photos taken up someone’s skirt (“upskirting”) or recordings made with connected devices such as smart glasses (for example Meta glasses) or hidden cameras. It also includes images or videos created or edited with AI (so-called “deepfakes”).

Threatening to publish this kind of content is also used to put pressure on people. This is called sextortion.

There are other forms too, such as cyberflashing, which means sending sexual images to someone who didn’t ask for them. Another is slut-shaming, which means publicly humiliating someone because of their real or assumed sexuality.

This kind of content is shared on porn websites, in messaging groups and on social media.

Legal situation in Switzerland

Possible criminal offences:

  • Sharing private sexual content without permission (Art. 197a SCC)
  • Offences against personal honour, such as defamation and insult (Art. 173–177 SCC)
  • Identity misuse (Art. 179decies SCC)
  • Violating someone’s private life using recording devices (Art. 179quater SCC)
  • Obtaining personal data without permission (Art. 179novies SCC)
  • Threats (Art. 180 SCC)
  • Coercion (Art. 181 SCC)
  • If the victim is under 18, also: sexual acts with children (Art. 187 SCC) and pornography (Art. 197 SCC)

What can you do about sexual violence online?

There are several options. If the person affected is an adult:

  1. Document evidence – screenshots, URLs, sender account, platform, date, time – and then report the content to the platform in question.
  2. On a technical level, the tool StopNCII creates a digital fingerprint of the content in order to prevent it from being shared, or shared again, on the major platforms. This also works when publication is being threatened (sextortion).
  3. These steps must be initiated quickly in order to curb the viral spread of the content. If the person affected is unable to do this, it is advisable to hand the task over to a trusted person.
  4. If the person wishes: file a report with the police.

⚠ Caution is required when minors are involved! Storing sexualized content involving minors (including screenshots) can be a criminal offense. Document only the URL of the content. Cases can be reported to fedpol or clickandstop.ch, which also provide advice. Content can be removed via the international platform Take It Down.

Stalking

Following, contacting, controlling

Stalking online, also called cyberstalking, means any repeated, non-consensual behavior that monitors, follows, or contacts a person through digital channels. This includes systematically combing through profiles, tracking activities and whereabouts, an unrelenting stream of messages, fake accounts used for observation or indirect contact, and probing the person’s social circle.

Stalking usually combines several forms of violence – surveillance, doxing, threats, insults – and thereby forms a system of control and intimidation.

Legal situation in Switzerland

Under Swiss law, stalking is directly covered by Art. 181b SCC (in force since January 1, 2026). Depending on the form it takes, further provisions may apply:

  • incessant attempts at contact and coercion (Art. 179septies, 181 SCC)
  • surveillance and data collection (Art. 143, 143bis, 179novies SCC)
  • unauthorized recordings (Art. 179bis, 179ter SCC)
  • offenses against personal honor (Art. 173 et seq. SCC)
  • threatening behavior (Art. 180 SCC)
  • physical violence (Art. 122, 123 SCC)

What can you do about stalking?

The important thing is to get help. Victim support centers can help you. Further steps:

  1. Document: Preserve evidence of the harassment by taking screenshots of calls, messages, and so on. The online evidence storage service for domestic violence and stalking is well suited to this: Safe with-you.
  2. Block the accounts responsible and report the content to the platform.
  3. Strengthen your digital security with simple measures.

Trolling und Shitstorm

Targeted disruption and collective attacks

Trolling refers to deliberately disrupting online discussions through provocations, insults, or content that has nothing to do with the topic – with the aim of unsettling or wearing down the people targeted.

In a shitstorm, a person or organization is overwhelmed by a wave of criticism, attacks, and insults. The trigger may be legitimate outrage, but the dynamic often tips over into collective harassment that the target has no way of countering.

Legal situation in Switzerland

Swiss law has no dedicated criminal offense for shitstorms and trolling. Depending on the form the conduct takes, the acts may fall under the following provisions:

  • offenses against personal honor (Art. 173 et seq. SCC)
  • coercion (Art. 181 SCC), stalking (Art. 181b SCC)
  • hate speech (Art. 261bis SCC)
  • threatening behavior (Art. 180 SCC), and others.

What can you do about trolling and shitstorms?

People targeted by a shitstorm are advised to hand over access to their own networks and messenger services to one or more trusted people and to shield themselves from the attacking content as much as possible. Once the difficult phase is over, all shared passwords should be changed.

Those affected, or the people around them, can:

  • Document: Save screenshots of the messages and the profiles of the people responsible. The online storage service Safe with-you (with-you.ch/de/safe-withyou) is well suited to this.
  • Report the content and the accounts responsible to the platforms in question.
  • Block the accounts responsible.
  • (Temporarily) change the username on the platforms in question and set the accounts to private.

Further tips can be found in the guide to digital self-protection, and measures for strengthening digital security are available on the home page.

Financial violence

Financial violence online occurs when people are defrauded or financially manipulated on the internet. A well-known example is the romance scam: someone sets up a fake profile, builds an emotional relationship with the victim over weeks or months – and then invents an urgent emergency in order to get at their money.

Those who deceive not with feelings but with supposedly lucrative investments, crypto deals, or a prize drawing that doesn’t exist are likewise committing financial violence online. The goal remains the same: to get at the victim’s money.

Legal situation in Switzerland

Depending on the form the offense takes, the acts may fall under the following provisions:

  • fraud (Art. 146 SCC)
  • forgery of documents (Art. 251 SCC)
  • money laundering (Art. 305bis SCC) or others.

What can you do about financial violence online?

The person affected or their relatives can:

  • Get information from Swiss Crime Prevention, the local police, or the National Cyber Security Center (BACS) about scams currently in circulation and newly used methods.
  • Document: Save screenshots of suspicious messages, profiles, and transactions. A secure online storage can be used for this, such as Safe withyou.
  • Report the incident to the local police or through the National Cyber Security Center.
  • Report and block fraudulent accounts on the platforms in question.
  • Contact your own bank immediately to try to stop transactions or limit their consequences.

As a general rule: Never transfer money to a person you have never met in person. And never grant anyone you know only virtually remote access to your bank accounts or your computer.