WASHINGTON: Fake photos showing Ukraine鈥檚 first lady sunbathing topless, incorrect video subtitles defaming Pakistani feminists for 鈥渂lasphemy,鈥� slow-motion clips falsely depicting 鈥渄runk鈥� female politicians 鈥� a barrage of disinformation targets women in the public eye.
Researchers say 鈥済endered disinformation鈥� 鈥� when sexism and misogyny intersect with online falsehoods 鈥� has relentlessly targeted women around the world, tarnishing their reputations, undermining their credibility and, in many cases, upending their careers.
AFP鈥檚 global fact-checkers have debunked falsehoods targeting politically active women, or those linked to prominent politicians, exposing online campaigns that feature fake information or manipulated images that are often sexually charged.
Last year, a fake image of Ukraine鈥檚 First Lady Olena Zelenska lying topless on a beach in Israel was shared widely on Facebook, triggering criticism that she was having fun while her war-torn country was suffering.
A reverse image search by AFP showed the woman in the photo was, in fact, a Russian television presenter.
Former American first lady Michelle Obama and current French first lady Brigitte Macron have also been targeted in false online posts that claimed they were born as men. The disinformation sparked an avalanche of mockery and transphobic remarks.
New Zealand鈥檚 Jacinda Ardern, who announced her resignation as prime minister in January, is another prominent figure that faced a torrent of disinformation about her sex.
鈥淲omen 鈥� especially those in positions of power and visibility 鈥� are unduly targeted by online disinformation,鈥� Maria Giovanna Sessa, a senior researcher at the nonprofit EU DisinfoLab, wrote in a report last year.

In another tactic that raised alarm in 2020, a slowed-down version of a video of Nancy Pelosi, the then US House Speaker, went viral. The effect made her speech slurred and gave the false impression that she was drunk.
鈥淏uilding on sexist stereotypes and disseminated with malign intent, gendered disinformation campaigns have a chilling effect on the women they target,鈥� Lucina Di Meco, a gender equality expert wrote in a study published last month.
The disinformation often leads to 鈥減olitical violence, hate and the deterring of young women from considering a political career,鈥� said the study titled 鈥渕onetizing misogyny.鈥�
In disinformation tactics typically deployed by political opponents, female politicians are sometimes framed as inherently undependable, too emotional or promiscuous to hold office.
When Germany鈥檚 current foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, was running for chancellor in 2021, she was the subject of frequent disinformation campaigns which raised questions about whether she was fit for the job.
One of them featured images of a nude model purporting to be of her, alongside suggestions that she had engaged in sex work.
Gendered disinformation represents a national security threat as it can be exploited by autocratic states such as Russia to exercise foreign influence, according to multiple researchers.
It can also be used to subdue the opposition.
鈥淲hen autocratic leaders are in power, gendered disinformation is often used by state-aligned actors to undermine women opposition leaders, as well as women鈥檚 rights,鈥� Di Meco鈥檚 report warned.

Women around the globe battle falsehoods that reinforce stereotypes that they are unintelligent or inefficient.
In 2021, Egyptian sports shooter Al-Zahraa Shaaban faced false social media posts that she had been excluded from the Tokyo Olympics because she had shot the referee.
That sparked a wave of comments that ridiculed women and questioned their ability to pursue such sporting activities.
Similar questions were raised about their ability to take on military jobs following last year鈥檚 crash of an F-35 fighter jet on the deck of a US aircraft carrier in the South China Sea.
False social media posts held the world鈥檚 first woman to fly an F-35 responsible for the crash. The pilot, in fact, was a man.
Such humiliating falsehoods, researchers say, can have a silencing effect on women, who are drawn to disengage, censor themselves and even avoid male-dominated professions, including politics.
That was a concern raised in a letter by dozens of US and international lawmakers in 2020 to Facebook, which along with other platforms has been blamed for the algorithmic amplification of false and hateful content targeting women.
In a statement to US media at the time, Facebook acknowledged that online abuse of women was a 鈥渟erious problem鈥� and pledged to work with policymakers on their concerns.
鈥淢ake no mistake, these tactics, which are used on your platform for malicious intent, are meant to silence women, and ultimately undermine our democracies,鈥� the letter said.
鈥淚t is no wonder women frequently cite the threat of rapid, widespread, public attacks on personal dignity as a factor deterring them from entering politics.鈥�