Substack Faces Backlash Over Systemic Failure to Address Deepfakes and Harassment Targeting Women
Key Takeaways
- ▸Women and LGBTQ+ creators on Substack are experiencing systematic harassment including rape threats, racial slurs, and threats of deepfake pornography creation
- ▸Substack's response to reports of abuse consists primarily of automated emails, with no effective action taken against abusers who create new accounts to circumvent blocks
- ▸The harassment violates Substack's own Content Guidelines and Terms of Use, which prohibit violence and threats based on protected classes
Summary
A coalition of women, feminist, and LGBTQ+ writers has published an open letter condemning Substack for failing to protect creators from rampant online abuse, including rape threats, racial slurs, and threats of deepfake pornography creation. The writers describe a pattern of gendered cyber violence where reporting and blocking accounts yields only automated 'thank you' emails from the platform, while harassment continues through new accounts created to circumvent blocks. The letter documents how the toxic environment is forcing women and LGBTQ+ creators to remove their photos, self-censor, or leave the platform entirely, despite Substack's stated content guidelines prohibiting violence and threats based on protected classes.
The creators argue that Substack's inaction represents a failure to distinguish between free speech and hate speech, with the platform effectively shielding bad actors at the expense of user safety. They point out that many of the threatening accounts violate Substack's own Terms of Use and Content Guidelines, which explicitly prohibit content that incites violence based on race, sex, gender identity, and other protected characteristics. The harassment includes detailed and repeated threats that the writers characterize as credible, along with the creation of multiple accounts designed specifically to circumvent user-imposed boundaries.
The open letter calls on Substack to improve its moderation, banning, and reporting systems, emphasizing that protecting writers from harassment is not censorship but a basic safety requirement for digital infrastructure. The writers note that in many jurisdictions, the abusive comments and threats they're receiving constitute criminal behavior. The coalition encourages other women to speak up about their experiences, documenting what they describe as a systemic problem that has transformed Substack from a 'safe corner of the internet' into what they call 'a sanctuary for online abuse.'
- The toxic environment is forcing women creators to remove profile photos, self-censor, or leave the platform entirely
- Creators are calling for improved moderation, banning, and reporting systems, arguing that protection from harassment is a basic safety requirement, not censorship
