Honorable Mentions for The Dr. Holly Jacobs CCRI Founder Award
To mark its ten-year record of accomplishment, CCRI established The Dr. Holly Jacobs CCRI Founder Award, which recognizes an outstanding U.S.-based individual who has made a significant contribution to a safer internet. The award is named in recognition of survivor-leader Dr. Holly Jacobs, CCRI’s founder, board member, and one of the world’s first advocates fighting against the non-consensual distribution of intimate imagery and other forms of IBSA. With such an outstanding pool of nominees, CCRI also chose to recognize two additional Honorable Mentions for the award.
The Honorable Mentions for The Dr. Holly Jacobs CCRI Founder Award are Dr. Michelle Ferrier and the New York Cyber Abuse Task Force.
Dr. Michelle Ferrier
Honorable Mention
Michelle Ferrier, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized and award-winning technologist, journalist, scholar, researcher, author, and speaker around technology and digital/online spaces. Dr. Ferrier is the executive director of the Media Innovation Collaboratory, an incubator for media and technology communication solutions, and she is the founder of TrollBusters, an educational service for journalists experiencing digital harms. Dr. Ferrier serves as the international president of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television and the board president of Journalism That Matters. Dr. Ferrier has led hundreds of presentations on engaged journalism and digital technologies; developed curricula in digital media, media innovation and entrepreneurship, and online journalism; and collaborated with international organizations like the United Nations, OSCE, Article 19, and other professional organizations to ensure global press freedoms.
“Dr. Ferrier’s extraordinary leadership and record of accomplishment have helped raise awareness and improve protections for women journalists targeted for online abuse,” said Dr. Franks.
“Dr. Ferrier has a remarkable record of accomplishment, from developing meaningful media curricula to leading cross-sector collaborations on press freedoms,” said Dr. Jacobs. “This Honorable Mention is an addition to the numerous well-deserved awards she has received throughout her impressive career.”
New York Cyber Abuse Task Force
Honorable Mention
In 2014, Shira Kaufman (Sanctuary for Families) and Carrie Goldberg (C.A. Goldberg, PLLC) launched what is today called the New York Cyber Abuse Task Force. In 2016, Lindsey Song became Co-Chair with other Sanctuary attorneys, and in 2020, Annie Seifullah (then of C.A. Goldberg, PLLC and now launching Incendii Law in January 2024) joined Song as co-Chair. The Task Force is a volunteer coalition of survivors, civil attorneys, advocates, law enforcement officers, researchers, and other stakeholders in the fight against technology-facilitated abuse. In under ten years, the Task Force has successfully advocated for legislation addressing non-consensual distribution of intimate images (NDII) in New York City and New York State and trained law enforcement on implementation of these laws; trained New York State judges on tech abuse; and created a Cyber Abuse Manual for Advocates. Representatives from the Task Force have also presented at 100+ conferences, trainings, and community meetings to share knowledge and resources about technology-facilitated intimate partner violence.
“The Honorable Mention for the New York Cyber Abuse Task Force recognizes the transformative power of coalition-building. The Task Force’s advocacy for state legislation addressing image-based sexual abuse provided much-needed visibility and support to IBSA victims and survivors in New York,” said Dr. Franks.
Dr. Jacobs stated, “With its extensive training initiatives, resource-sharing, and community organizing, the New York Cyber Abuse Task Force has made great strides in the fight against intimate partner violence in the digital age.”
