Equality Culture Club: Professor Clare McGlynn on ‘Exposed’, online misogyny, and the future of digital accountability

In this edition of Equality Culture Club, we speak with legal scholar, activist, and author Prof Clare McGlynn about her new book Exposed, which examines the growing influence of extreme online pornography and the role of technology platforms in shaping attitudes towards sex, relationships, and violence against women and girls.

Drawing on years of work tackling online abuse and advocating for stronger protections in law, Clare reflects on the rise of AI-driven harms, the normalisation of image-based abuse, and why recent legislative changes in the UK could mark a turning point for accountability online. She also shares what keeps her motivated, the feminist thinkers who inspire her, and the books she recommends for anyone wanting to better understand the digital backlash against gender equality.

Q: Exposed tackles the impact of extreme online pornography on society. Can you explain what defines ‘extreme’ pornography and what motivated you to write this book now?

A: My book focuses on what I call ‘patriarchal porn’ – that’s the porn on the largest, mainstream sites targeted at heterosexual men. This is the material viewed by millions, and which is inevitably impacting all of our lives. 

The book charts how mainstream – patriarchal – porn has become more extreme over recent years, such as the rise of incest porn and strangulation porn. 

In legal terms in the UK, extreme pornography covers material including bestiality, necrophilia, and material depicting life-threatening injury. It is about to be extended to include incest, strangulation and mimicking child sexual abuse. 

Q: The book explores how digital platforms and new technologies like AI are shaping attitudes towards sex and relationships. What are the potential harms related to this, and where does responsibility and accountability for these harms lie?

A: New technologies such as AI and the largest mainstream platforms are shaping our attitudes to sex as their algorithms promote more extreme, polarising, abusive content. We know this from social media platforms, and it is the same with porn platforms. Their business model requires continued engagement, and that means pushing new, more extreme content. 

AI is also shaping our relationships, particularly through companion apps that reproduce gendered norms. We know that AI is racist and sexist, and we see this being reproduced at scale. 

Q: What specifically should tech companies be required to do to mitigate against or prevent these harms?

A: In relation to AI, we need to regulate this technology rather than the current free-for-all. Platforms should not be allowed to release new tech onto the market unless it has been properly designed and tested, and has sufficient safeguards. This has simply not been the case so far. 

In relation to porn platforms, including X, within the UK, we can enforce the Online Safety Act to reduce the prevalence of sexually violent/extreme content. 

Q: You’ve been closely involved in shaping laws around online abuse. What recent developments or progress are particularly significant right now in terms of their potential impact?

A: In the UK, new legislation has been adopted that will require platforms to act more quickly and effectively in relation to non-consensual intimate images. They will have to remove content within 48 hours or face enforcement action from the regulator. They will also be required to share hashes of images with other platforms – these are the unique digital fingerprints of images. This should stop them from being reshared across all platforms. 

If properly enforced, this could make a considerable difference. 

In relation to pornography, the legislation just adopted is transformative and could see huge amounts of content removed. The law will prohibit porn which depicts incest, strangulation and content mimicking child sexual abuse. Together with existing laws prohibiting rape porn, if these provisions are enforced, it would be transformative for what we see online. 

Q: Public awareness of issues like image-based abuse and deepfakes is growing. What shifts have you noticed in the narratives around these issues, for example, the focus on survivor stories, discussion of broader culture which produced these harms, etc?

A: There is greater awareness of the realities and harms of image-based abuse, though some of these forms of abuse are so common and so normalised. For example, millions are being victimised by nudification technology. But, I think the harm is minimised and normalised by the terms used to describe this technology, like ‘nudify’ and ‘nudify apps’. 

Q: Looking ahead, what areas of your work are you most focused on, and what can we expect to see more of from you?

A: My current work focuses on two main areas. First, in relation to emerging technology, I’ve just published a report with colleagues on how AI chatbots are reshaping violence against women and girls. We were trying to send a warning signal about what is already happening, and the real risk that this tech is going to intensify the threat of abuse of women and girls. 

Secondly, I’m going to be working on the enforcement of the recent legislative changes around pornography, and trying to spread the message of change, and of the harms of extreme porn, as I set out in my book #Exposed, around the world. 

Icons, inspiration and imagining equality

To close, we ask every Equality Culture Club guest about the people, media, and ideas shaping their vision for a more equal future.

Q: What excites you most about the prospect of a gender-equal future?

A: What motivates me is that each step towards a better future, towards the end of patriarchy, improves the everyday lives of women and girls. I don’t know what a gender-equal world will look like, but I don’t have to. We can all walk towards that destination, stepping over or around the obstacles, or smashing them entirely. What’s exciting is working together in solidarity.

Q: Who is your favourite feminist icon and why?

A: There are so many! To pick one example, I regularly quote Audre Lorde when she talked about how self-care is a political act. She wrote that: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare”.

I often try to remind myself of this and share it with others. It gives us the ability, without guilt, to take a break from what is often really challenging work. 

Q: Do you have feminist media (books, movies, podcasts, etc.) recommendations for people looking for similar material? Or, what’s one book that has shaped your life?

In my field of work, I would urge anyone to read Laura Bates’ New Age of Sexism and Jess Davies No-one Wants to See Your Dick. Jess’ book also gives great advice and support for women and girls experiencing various forms of online harassment and abuse. 

Conversations like this remind us that gender equality is shaped not only by laws and policies, but by the cultures and technologies that influence our everyday lives. At Equality Now, we remain committed to challenging the systems that enable violence and discrimination against women and girls, online and offline.