Viktorya Vilk

Director, Digital Safety and Free Expression

Viktorya Vilk (she/her/hers) is the director for digital safety and free expression at PEN America. She created and runs the organization’s Online Abuse Defense Program, which equips writers and journalists with self-defense training and resources, partners with media organizations and publishers to strengthen protections for writers and journalists, and conducts research and advocacy on platform accountability. Her work has been featured on PBS Newshour, The New York Times, Slate, and Harvard Business Review, and she regularly speaks at conferences on digital safety and press freedom, including for the Online News Association, RightsCon, International Journalism Festival, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and MozFest, among others.

Prior to joining PEN America, she worked on organizational strategy and development at the Art & Global Health Center Africa, a Malawian NGO that advocates for health and human rights through the arts. She has organized exhibitions, developed public programs, managed a collection re-installation project, and created innovative digital platforms showcasing art and architecture at the Jewish Museum, the Clark Art Institute, The Frick Collection, and the Courtauld Gallery. She completed graduate degrees, as a Marshall Scholar, at the University of London, and has over a decade of experience working in nonprofits to expand access to the arts and defend creative and press freedom.

Recent Publications

Not Helpless, Not Silenced: What to Do if You Are Experiencing or Witnessing Online Abuse
Ms. Magazine, January 2024

Rape Threats, Misogynist Slurs, Sexual Harassment and Doxing: How Online Abuse Is Used to Intimidate, Discredit and Silence
Ms. Magazine, January 2024

“Shouting Into the Void with Viktorya Vilk and Kat Lo”
ConnectSafely, October 2023

“How do you report online abuse? And what happens when you do?”
WBUR, July 2023


Articles by Viktorya Vilk

Wednesday August 28

Protecting Your Digital Footprint: A Guide for Journalists

In the lead-up to the U.S. election, journalists and writers face increased risks of online abuse and threats. As part of the free webinar series, U.S. Election Safety Summer, PEN America’s digital safety experts Viktorya Vilk and Jeje Mohamed focused on protecting against doxing, hacking, and impersonation.

Thursday August 1

Combatting Online Abuse: Practical Tips for Journalists

In an era when online abuse is rampant, equipping journalists with practical tools to defend themselves is crucial to safeguarding a free and independent press.

Online Abuse & Digital SafetyU.S. Free Expression
Tuesday April 2

U.S. Cyber Defense Agency Launches Website for High-Risk Communities, with Digital Safety Guidance from PEN America

CISA launched an initiative to support communities at heightened risk of digital security threats because of their work, featuring PEN America’s resources.