Centering the Protection of Human Rights in Online Risk Regulation

In Brussels on Tuesday 3rd June, the Global Network Initiative (GNI) and the Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP) hosted “Centering the Protection of Human Rights in Online Risk Regulation,” a multistakeholder gathering of companies, civil society, academics, and online safety regulators.

A keynote presentation by Silvia Fukouka, Principal, Governance and Risk Management Policy at UK Office of Communications (Ofcom) – slides below – was followed by a multistakeholder panel discussion held under the Chatham House Rule with participation from Ofcom, Coimisiún na Meán (Ireland’s media regulator and Digital Service Coordinator), the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG Connect), CDT Europe, and the Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University Delhi.

Ofcom Presentation on Risk Assessment under the UK Online Safety Act

This event was followed by the third iteration of the European Rights & Risks Stakeholder Engagement Forum, where representatives from very large online platforms and search engines and experts from civil society and academia discussed systemic risk assessments and mitigations under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA). This year’s Forum, which took place across two-days of dynamic workshops and panels,sought to enable meaningful stakeholder engagement and ensure that the protection of fundamental rights, especially freedom of expression, is upheld as part of the DSA.

GNI and DTSP are deeply appreciative of all of the stakeholders who helped us prepare for and participated in this year’s Forum. We continue to believe that multistakeholder discussions are critical to enabling rights-respecting approaches to digital risk management, and ensuring that regulatory approaches do not result in disproportionate or unnecessary restrictions on freedom of expression or privacy. We will be publishing an event report consistent with the Chatham House rule shortly and look forward to continuing to engage on these critical topics.

DTSP Releases Spanish And Portuguese Translations Of Its Best Practices

The Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP), a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at promoting a safer and more trustworthy internet, is unveiling its best practices translated to Spanish and Portuguese. These translations are designed to expand accessibility and engagement among Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking communities.

The report describes a range of best practices — specifically, five guiding principles for age assurance and three dozen examples of best practices in line with those principles. With the availability of these translated reports, digital service providers in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking regions can easily implement DTSP’s best practices, enhancing the safety of the digital space.

En Espanol

La Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP), una iniciativa pionera en su tipo que tiene como objetivo promover un Internet más seguro y responsable, lanza traducciones al español y al portugués de sus programa de prácticas recomendadas. Las traducciones buscan ampliar el alcance del programa y promover una mayor participación por parte de comunidades de habla hispana y portuguesa.

El informe capta una serie de prácticas recomendadas. En particular, incluye cinco líneas directrices a seguir para la verificación de edad y tres docenas de ejemplos de dichas prácticas en base a las líneas directrices. Los proveedores de servicios digitales en regiones de habla hispana y portuguesa podrán ahora implementar las prácticas recomendadas por la DTSP gracias a la disponibilidad de las traducciones, lo que conllevará a una mejora de la seguridad en el mundo digital. 

Leer en español: https://dtspartnership.org/garantia-de-edad-principios-rectores-y-mejores-practicas/

Em Português

A Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP), uma iniciativa pioneira que visa promover uma internet mais segura e confiável, está lançando suas melhores práticas traduzidas para o espanhol e o português. Estas traduções foram concebidas para expandir a acessibilidade e o envolvimento entre as comunidades de língua espanhola e portuguesa.

O relatório descreve uma série de melhores práticas — especificamente, cinco princípios orientadores para a garantia de idade e três dezenas de exemplos de melhores práticas alinhadas com estes princípios. Com a disponibilidade destes relatórios traduzidos, os provedores de serviços digitais nas regiões de língua espanhola e portuguesa podem implementar as Melhores Práticas do DTSP, fortalecendo a segurança do espaço digital.

 Ler em Português: https://dtspartnership.org/sistema-de-mejores-practicas-2/

DTSP Unveils New Best Practices for Incorporating AI and Automation Into Trust and Safety

Washington – The Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP) released a first-of-its-kind report outlining best practices for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation in trust and safety operations. Developed by DTSP’s AI and Automation Working Group, with assistance from BSR, the report provides valuable guidance on how to leverage AI to address content- and conduct-related abuse on digital products and services.

“AI and automation offer significant potential to keep users safe by detecting, enforcing and reviewing content and conduct to address online abuse at scale,” said DTSP Executive Director David Sullivan. “Automated tools have been a key part of trust and safety from the very beginning, but recent advances in AI, when deployed responsibly, can increase the capacity and accuracy of efforts to counter abusive content and behavior online.”

The report identifies ways that AI can be used to implement the DTSP Best Practices Framework, across product development, governance, enforcement, improvement, and transparency, including potential opportunities for generative AI to further the practices. After exploring limitations and challenges for AI in trust and safety, the report goes on to identify additional best practices and areas where greater future collaboration is needed.  

The report is a culmination of extensive research, including interviews with participating companies and generative AI experts. Key points include:

• AI and automation enrich and support the role of trust and safety professionals.
• Companies offering very different digital products and services are aligned on both the challenges and opportunities for integrating AI and generative AI into their trust and safety operations.
• When deployed responsibly, AI and automation can enhance all aspects of trust and safety, from product development, to governance, enforcement, improvement, and transparency. AI can also improve the wellbeing of trust and safety teams and reduce their exposure to traumatic content.
• Generative AI has the potential to significantly increase the capacity and accuracy of content moderation; however, further experimentation and risk assessment and mitigation is needed.
• Best practices that acknowledge the limitations of AI while encouraging collaboration across the trust and safety field provide a path forward on the internet’s toughest challenges.

The best practices adhere to the DTSP Best Practices Framework and were informed by input from the DTSP AI and Automation Working Group. Members of the working group include Bitly, Bumble Inc., Discord, Google, LinkedIn, Match Group, Meta, Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok, and Zoom. The findings reflect the diverse set of products and services offered by these participants. 

European Rights & Risks: DTSP & GNI Stakeholder Engagement Forum Summary

Today, the Global Network Initiative (GNI) and the Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP) are publishing a high-level summary of the key learnings and takeaways from the preparation for and discussions during the “European Rights & Risks: Stakeholder Engagement Forum”, which was held in Brussels on 26 and 27 June 2024.

At present, very large online platforms and search engines (VLOPs and VLOSEs) in the European Union are conducting their second round of mandatory risk assessments under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Due this month (August 2024), these assessments seek to identify the platforms’ own “systemic risks,” the mitigations they’ve taken to reduce those risks, and their crisis plans and responses. 

The Forum brought together more than 75 attendees, including representatives from seven entities who are members of GNI and DTSP and collectively manage 13 distinct services that have been designated as VLOPs or VLOSEs, as well as civil society and academic experts from across Europe and other jurisdictions, to discuss systemic risk assessments. 

Discussions during the Forum coalesced around several overarching themes: understanding risks, assessment methodologies, stakeholder engagement, DSA enforcement, the Brussels Effect, and the role of AI. Through deep dives on several risk areas (electoral processes and civic discourse, crisis and conflict-affected settings, and when harmful content becomes illegal), the Forum explored the lack of clarity on what makes a risk “systemic,” especially those with cross-border implications. Across sessions, stakeholders discussed ways civil society expertise could better inform risk assessments. Participants also probed opportunities and challenges around integrating AI into risk assessment and mitigation processes.

This Forum marked one step forward in the journey toward more fruitful engagement between platform companies and civil society in pursuit of the protection of fundamental rights in Europe and around the world. Representatives from digital services and civil society brought diverse perspectives to the discussion, and were able to identify points of common ground despite their at times opposing positions. For instance, as a general matter stakeholders agreed that the lack of authoritative guidance from the European Commission presents opportunities to work collaboratively in pursuit of rights-respecting approaches to risk assessment. Forthcoming public reports on year one risk assessments and audits will provide more opportunities for shared reflection and identification of challenges and opportunities. DTSP and GNI will organize a follow-up, virtual workshop to facilitate additional conversations after those reports are published.  

Read Event Summary

The Digital Trust & Safety Partnership Welcomes Bumble

WASHINGTON — Today the Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP), an initiative aimed at promoting a safer and more trustworthy internet, welcomed Bumble Inc. as its newest member.

Bumble’s addition to DTSP highlights a growing commitment in developing Trust & Safety standards that promote a safer and more trustworthy internet. Bumble joins a growing list of companies which also includes Apple, Bitly, Discord, Google, LinkedIn, Match Group, Meta Platforms, Inc., Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok, Twitch, and Zoom. 

“Women’s online safety has been core to our mission here at Bumble since day one. Fostering an environment built on authenticity, honesty, and equity is essential to ensuring that all of our members have a positive experience,” said Kenya Fairley, Planning & Partnerships Associate Director. “We are committed to always exploring new ways to strengthen our safeguarding practices, and look forward to building with and learning from each of our partners to promote best practices that lead us all towards a safer environment across the internet.” 

The partnership is committed to developing industry best practices, reviewed through internal and independent third-party assessments, to ensure consumer safety and trust when using digital services.

DTSP launched in February 2021 to mature and professionalize the Trust and Safety field, in pursuit of a safer and more trustworthy internet. Since then we have:

• released our first set of common Trust & Safety commitments, articulating the 35 Best Practices our members are using to keep consumers safe;
• implemented a first round of Safe Assessments, evaluating the trust and safety practices of partner companies;
• developed a Glossary of Trust & Safety Terms for public consultation;
• participated in events with peer organizations across the United States, Europe, and Asia;
• engaged extensively with experts from industry, governments and civil society.

For more information, please visit dtspartnership.org. Members of the press can contact the Digital Trust & Safety Partnership at press@dtspartnership.org.

About The Digital Trust & Safety Partnership

The Digital Trust & Safety Partnership is a first-of-its kind initiative focused on promoting a safer and more trustworthy internet. The Digital Trust & Safety Partnership includes Apple, Bitly, Discord, Google, LinkedIn, Meta Platforms, Inc., Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok, Twitch, and Zoom. For more information, visit dtspartnership.org.

About Bumble Inc. 

Bumble Inc. is the parent company of Bumble, Bumble For Friends, Badoo, Fruitz and Official. The Bumble platform enables people to build healthy and equitable relationships, through Kind Connections. Founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd in 2014, Bumble was one of the first dating apps built with women at the center and connects people across dating (Bumble Date), friendship (Bumble For Friends) and professional networking (Bumble Bizz). Badoo, which was founded in 2006, is one of the pioneers of web and mobile dating products. Fruitz, founded in 2017, encourages open and honest communication of dating intentions through playful fruit metaphors. Official is an app for couples that promotes open and honest communication between partners and was founded in 2020.

DTSP Releases Updated Safe Framework Specification for Assessments of Digital Products and Services

WASHINGTON — Today, the Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP) released the updated Safe Framework Specification, detailing the complete methodology for conducting assessments of the DTSP Best Practices Framework for digital trust and safety.

This specification presents publicly, for the first time, the operational details of the Safe Framework assessment methodology, which DTSP previously summarized in December 2021. This latest version of the Safe Framework also incorporates updates to the methodology based on the piloting of the framework through the internal assessments conducted by DTSP founding partners, as described in the 2022 Safe Assessments report, as well as public consultations on the framework.

By compiling the DTSP Best Practices Framework and the Safe Framework into a specification that is widely and freely available to the public, DTSP seeks to increase transparency regarding our approach to trust and safety, provide resources that companies, governments, and civil society can access to improve understanding of state-of-the-art approaches to ensuring robust trust and safety operations, and contribute to global conversations about maturing the field of trust and safety through best practices and standards.

DTSP Co-Chairs World Economic Forum White Paper: How to Measure Digital Safety Effectively to Reduce Risks Online

A new white paper from the World Economic Forum’s Global Coalition for Digital Safety navigates the intricacies of measuring digital safety amid evolving technological advancements and regulatory frameworks.

Co-chaired by DTSP and the United Kingdom Office of Communications (Ofcom), the white paper “Making a Difference: How to Measure Digital Safety Effectively to Reduce Risks Online” takes a data-driven approach to digital safety, proposing examples of specific metrics to “measure the immeasurable.”

In an increasingly digital world, comparable and agreed-upon digital safety metrics allow companies, policymakers and other stakeholders to understand risks, allocate resources and demonstrate compliance with regulations. 

The white paper explores the most salient approaches to metrics and measurements in the field of digital safety, categorizing digital safety metrics into three groups: 

• Impact: metrics that illuminate the impacts on individuals and provide insights into characteristics and patterns of lived experiences 

• Risk: metrics that enable the detection and mitigation of potential harms 

• Process: metrics that cover the approach, implementation and outcomes of systems relating to digital safety 

Consensus-driven metrics for digital safety enable informed decision-making, facilitate policy development and enhance stakeholders’ awareness of online safety issues, allowing for the harmonization of benchmarks.

Read the full white paper here along with a World Economic Forum blog post from David Sullivan and Ofcom’s Collin Kurre on “Why measuring digital safety can protect us online — and how we do it.”

Navigating the DSA in Practice: A Stakeholder Discussion on Risk Assessments & Rights

By GNI and DTSP

At present, very large online platforms and search engines (VLOPs and VLOSEs) in the European Union are conducting their second round of mandatory risk assessments under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Due in August 2024, these assessments seek to identify the platforms’ own “systemic risks,” the mitigations they’ve taken to reduce those risks, and their crisis plans and responses. In late June, the Global Network Initiative (GNI) and the Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP) are hosting a European Rights & Risks: Stakeholder Engagement Forum (“the Forum”) in Brussels to share insights on assessing systemic risks to fundamental rights as part of implementing the DSA.

Risk assessment best practices and Recital 90 of the DSA highlight the importance of engaging independent experts and civil society, among others, in order to draw on the best available insights about systemic risks, and tech platforms in the relevant context. Last year, GNI and DTSP, brought together our company members and experts from civil society and academia for two virtual workshops to explore the DSA’s approach to systemic risk assessment in more detail.

Building on the discussion and lessons learned from our 2023 workshop, the Forum aims to convene representatives from GNI and DTSP company members, civil society, and academia from across Europe and other jurisdictions to analyze, discuss, and inform ongoing DSA systemic risk assessments. Through discussion-based workshops and expert panels, the Forum will focus on relevant risks, fundamental rights, and the process of risk assessments. The Forum will be in person and complemented by a subsequent virtual event later this year.

Sharing insights and perspectives across companies and civil society can improve company risk assessment and mitigation. This collaborative approach can also reveal unintended consequences of regulation and identify instances of government overreach. The Forum is an initial opportunity to participate in and shape stakeholder engagement within the context of the evolving regulatory regime in the EU and other jurisdictions enacting similar laws.

In planning the forum, GNI and DTSP staff are taking time to consult our members and partners to learn more about how DSA implementation is going: what’s working, what’s not working, and where the gaps are, in service of mitigating risks to individuals and society while protecting fundamental rights. We have realized there are many questions and a pressing need for spaces to discuss these concerns.

After the event, GNI and DTSP will independently write and publish a high-level summary of the discussion. The Forum has been conceptualized and organized by GNI and DTSP. It is financially sponsored by Google, covering the costs of hosting the conference and staff and civil society travel, with additional travel support provided by TikTok.

We hope that this Forum will represent a critical step towards building a more robust framework for ongoing stakeholder engagement, particularly concerning DSA risk assessments. By fostering open dialogue between companies and civil society, we aim to collectively explore what meaningful stakeholder engagement might look like in the new regulatory landscape and how it can improve going forward. Given our multistakeholder community and experience working in this space, we hope to continue to enable engagement around tech company risk assessments and build a stronger bridge for continuous cross-stakeholder dialogue and learning.

About GNI
GNI is the leading multistakeholder forum for accountability, shared learning, and collective advocacy on government and company policies and practices at the intersection of technology and human rights. We set a global standard for responsible company decision-making to promote and advance freedom of expression and privacy rights across the technology ecosystem.

About DTSP
The Digital Trust & Safety Partnership is a unique initiative focused on promoting a safer and more trustworthy internet. We are committed to developing, using and promoting industry best practices, reviewed through internal and independent third-party assessments, to ensure consumer trust and safety when using digital services.

DTSP Submission to the United Nations on the Global Digital Compact

The Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP) welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed structural elements for a Global Digital Compact.

Our partnership brings together providers of diverse digital products and services around shared commitments to trust and safety, and a framework of best practices and assessments grounded in the experience of practitioners. Current DTSP partners are listed on our website.

DTSP welcomes the inclusion within Commitment 2 the area of action to “Advance digital trust and safety, including specific measures to protect women, children, youth and persons in vulnerable situations against harms.” However, such a focus should build upon existing efforts within industry, in the trust and safety field, as well as complementary efforts by other stakeholders. Moreover, such efforts should be anchored in the protection and promotion of human rights as the introduction to Section 3 states.

Read our written submission here.

DTSP Submission to the UK Ofcom Consultation On Illegal Harms Online

The Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP) responded to Ofcom’s call for public comment on Protecting People from Illegal Harms Online.

Read our submission here.

The Digital Trust & Safety Partnership (DTSP) welcomes the opportunity to respond to Ofcom’s call for public comment on Protecting People from Illegal Harms Online.

Our partnership brings together providers of diverse digital products and services around shared commitments to trust and safety, and a framework of best practices and assessments grounded in the experience of practitioners. Current DTSP partners are listed on our website.

We would like to emphasize the following high-level points that are interwoven throughout our submission:

Our tailoring approach provides a different path to proportionality: DTSP appreciates and shares Ofcom’s view that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to trust and safety and to protecting people online. We agree that size is not the only factor that should be considered, and our assessment methodology, the Safe Framework, uses a tailoring framework that combines objective measures of organizational size and scale for the product or service in scope of assessment, as well as risk factors.

Enable services to identify, evaluate, and adjust for dynamic content- and conduct-related risks: The experience of our partner companies shows that services that enable online content and conduct face a diversity of risks, so that the proposed threshold for being a multi-risk service is unlikely to achieve the desired result of creating proportional levels of responsibility across the many thousands of services covered by the regulation.

Overly prescriptive codes may have unintended effects: Although there is significant overlap between the content of the DTSP Best Practices Framework and the proposed Illegal Content Codes of Practice, the level of prescription in the codes, their status as a safe harbor, and the burden of documenting alternative approaches will discourage services from using other measures that might be more effective. Our framework allows companies to use whatever combination of practices most effectively fulfills their overarching commitments to product development, governance, enforcement, improvement, and transparency. This helps ensure that our practices can evolve in the face of new risks and new technologies.

Rigorous evaluation of the maturity and effectiveness of practices offers a scalable and future-proof way forward: In the Safe Framework, it is the intensity and comprehensiveness of the assessment of those practices through which our approach is scaled. Our methodology allows services the ability to scale up or down their practices in response to identified risks, including the severity or frequency of particular harms occurring or potentially occurring via their products or services.

The importance of agreed terminology: We offer the definitions from our Trust & Safety Glossary of Terms as a starting point for aligning international efforts for online safety around shared terminology.