Karolin Rippich

PhD Researcher

Karolin Rippich is a PhD researcher at the Dublin City University Anti-Bullying Centre, investigating the intersection of children’s online safety, LGBTQ+ rights, and the evolving landscape of digital law amidst the global rise of anti-gender movements. Her principal research interests are the intersection of digital rights and social movements. Her work is informed by interdisciplinary and gendered perspectives on cybersecurity, data governance, and surveillance.

Karolin holds a dual Bachelor of Science in Information Science and an ERASMUS Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Security, Intelligence, and Strategic Studies, where she specialised in the nexus of Security, Technology, and Society and explored feminist digital rights advocacy in her thesis. Beyond her prior experience in IT-Governance, Data Protection, and Cybersecurity roles in the private sector, Karolin has also contributed to research projects on “Young Women in STEM” and Games and Gaming within Education. As Communications Manager at the Young Security Conference, she fosters dialogue on European foreign and security policy, connecting young thinkers with policy experts, scholars, and high-ranking officials.

PhD Project

Title

Children’s Online Safety and the Protection of LGBTQI+ Groups: A Comparative Study of Anti-Gender Influence on Digital Governance.

Summary

The research investigates how anti-gender movements influence children’s rights and LGBTQI+ rights through digital governance frameworks. Using a feminist digital constitutionalist lens, it explores how these movements seek to establish foundational norms and policies that impose restrictive regulations, particularly on children’s online safety and the visibility of LGBTQI+ content. By employing comparative legal analysis, social network analysis, and interviews, the project examines these trends across global contexts. Through an interdisciplinary approach, it aims to bridge gaps in understanding the transnational impact of these ideologies on digital governance and vulnerable and marginalised communities, while highlighting civil society’s resistance strategies to protect these groups’ digital rights and safety.