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Focusing on pioneering and urgent research to solve the challenges industry can often face in the fight against online CSEA, the partnership, initiated in 2020, is now entering its fourth year.
The Tech Coalition has so far invested USD 2.5 million in this collaborative effort with Safe Online, supporting 13 cutting-edge research projects delving into a range of issues. These include insights into offending behaviours and trends related to grooming, deterrence and help-seeking interventions, trauma-informed response strategies, support systems for victims, parents, and content moderators, as well as children’s experiences, ranging from peer-to-peer sexual violence to those of children with intellectual disabilities.
In addition to investments in critical research, the Tech Coalition Safe Online Research Fund has been successful in opening up vital spaces for collaboration and exchange between independent researchers, academics and tech industry practitioners to ensure that the research and evidence being generated is enriched by valuable insights from industry with usability as a goal and the overall joint mission of keeping children safe from digital harm. The research is not only in support of tech companies but with support of tech companies.
It was with this idea that the Tech Coalition Safe Online Research Fund, with the support of Google, hosted its first-ever grantee convening bringing independent researchers together with industry professionals working in product, policy, and trust and safety to build and deepen a shared understanding for online child safety. The convening was held on the sidelines of the Stanford Trust and Safety Research event where Research Fund grantees shared insights and impact from their independent research.
In the initial phase of the Safe Online Research Fund, five organisations were granted up to USD 250,000 to conduct research and expand knowledge on online CSEA prevention. The second funding round allocated USD 1 million to eight projects, emphasising innovative research geared towards online CSEA prevention, focusing on (1) prevention and deterrence, (2) detection and reporting, and (3) response and support. This year, the Technical Coalition Safe Online Research Fund granted four awards to further accelerate the work of organisations from the first cohort of grantees. The additional funds are for a duration of 12 months and will support projects to extend research to applications such as piloting solutions, technical collaboration and innovation efforts.
The Tech Coalition and End Violence Safe Online have set up an advisory group made up of representatives from key online CSEA-focused organisations, alliances and independent experts as well as technology industry representatives from Tech Coalition member companies. The Advisory Group plays a central role in outlining the Open Call selection criteria, dissemination strategies and knowledge-exchange activities to amplify the impact of the research.
Key roles of the Advisory Group include:
Past members of the Tech Coalition Safe Online Research Fund Advisory Group include:
Public Policy Lead for Kids and Families at Google
Independent Safety Advisor for Yubo
Policy Operations Manager
Principal, Family Trust at Amazon
Head of Policy at WePROTECT Global Alliance
Big Data Architect and Chief Technology Officer of the Standord Internet Observatory
Director of the Centre to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children at the International Justice Mission
Child Rights and Business Specialist at UNICEF
Professor of Criminology & Director Institute for Connected Communities, University of East London
Global Exterbak Engagements Lead for Trust & Safety at AWS
Director, Global Safety Policy at Facebook
Outreach and Partnerships Manager for Trust & Safety at TikTok
Director of Safe Online
Head of Research and Insights at Thorn
Grant Management Specialist at Safe Online
Research Program Manager at Facebook
Director at Royal Ottawa Health Care Group & Full Professor in Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa
Grant Management Specialist at Safe Online
E-Safety and Awareness director, SaferNet Brasil
Knowledge and Advocacy Specialist at End Violence
Business Program Manager at Microsoft
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