2023 European Forum
Overview
Regulating and Innovating Online Safety
Regulating and Innovating Online Safety
On June 27th, FOSI hosted its annual European Forum at the Google Safety Engineering Center in Dublin, Ireland. This event, titled “Regulating and Innovating Online Safety,” featured top representatives across industry, government, academia, and the charity sector as they debated the implications of current and pending global legislation, best practices surrounding AI, digital wellbeing, and more.
Recordings from the forum are available on the FOSI YouTube Channel.
The day began with a welcome address by FOSI’s Board Chair, and Vice President of Civility & Partnerships at Roblox, Tami Bhaumik. She then introduced FOSI’s Founder and CEO, Stephen Balkam, and Google’s Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Policy, Markham Erickson, for a fireside chat on key online safety issues such as the global collaboration between policymakers, regulators and industry, and the importance of keeping children safe online while ensuring that parents feel confident about their children’s online experience.
The first panel of the day, From Pixels to Policies: Exploring the Legislative Challenges on Online Safety, featured two key regulators from Ireland and the UK – Gill Whitehead of Ofcom, and Niamh Hodnett of the Online Safety Commissioner, Ireland, and researcher and academic, Lorna Woods, OBE of the University of Essex. This panel discussed the details of online safety bills and regulation that they see on a daily basis, as well as broader policy trends expanding across jurisdictions. Questions included how laws can promote online safety while still being rights respecting and privacy preserving, what opportunities exist for collaboration between public and private sectors, and where age assurance fits into these policies.
The following panel, Burnout to Balance: Wellbeing in a New Digital Era, featured the industry perspective from both Tami Bhaumik of Roblox and Mindy Brooks of Google, the academic point of view from Andy Przybylski of OII, and the non-profit perspective from Ãine Lynch of Ireland’s National Parents Council. The discussion featured digital wellbeing best practices when thinking about the use of social media, immersive technologies, and AI. Panelists also shared their expertise and discussed ways in which both parents and kids can feel more empowered to take control of their relationship with technology in a healthy and balanced way.
After lunch and time for attendees to network and view the exhibit booths, our third panel of the day, Promoting Safety and Trust in genAI, took the stage. AI experts Courtney Gregoire of Microsoft, Vick Nash of OII, Henry Platten of GoBubble, and Matthew Soeth of Spectrum Labs spoke about one of the most hotly debated and discussed technologies of the year, AI. Panelists discussed the pros and cons of genAI through the lens of online safety, how various stakeholders can and should approach this technology, and how we can best prioritize safety for kids in quickly evolving digital experiences.
The final panel of the day looked to the future. Titled Emerging Horizons: Navigating the Future of Online Safety, Julie de Bailliencourt of TikTok, Iain Drennan of WeProtect, Alex Holmes of the Diana Award, and Trisha Prabhu of ReThink reflected on how advancing technologies will impact our everyday lives, and what this means for the future of online safety. Panelists discussed how all stakeholders, as well as parents and youth themselves, can navigate these complex and evolving times. From a variety of different perspectives, panelists examined the most important facets of online safety as we embark on a new era of digital innovation.
FOSI Founder and CEO Stephen Balkam wrapped up the day with closing remarks, thanking event sponsors Google, TikTok and GoBubble.
Recordings from our 2023 European Forum are available on the FOSI YouTube Channel.
Photos from the event can be found on the Event Media Gallery.
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Speakers
Charlotte Aynsley
Charlotte has a broad range of experience in the field of digital safeguarding - for 10 years she led Becta's advice and support to Government, local authorities and schools on keeping children safe online. She also worked with Dr Tanya Byron on her review of Safer Children in a Digital World - leading the implementation and co-ordination of the education recommendations in the Review as part of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS).
Julie de Bailliencourt
Julie has almost 25 years experience in the tech industry. She joined ByteDance in April 2020 to manage the EMEA Product Policy team. Since June 2021, she has been leading the Global Product Policy team for TikTok and Bytedance.
Stephen Balkam
For the past 30 years, Stephen Balkam has had a wide range of leadership roles in the nonprofit sector in the both the US and UK. He is currently the Founder and CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), an international, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC. FOSI's mission is to make the online world safer for kids and their families.
Tami Bhaumik
Tami Bhaumik is the Vice President of Civility and Partnerships at Roblox where she spearheads the platform's digital civility initiative and works to foster a global community of internet safety leaders to ensure good digital citizenship on Roblox. To establish a healthy and safe community, Tami is focused on providing kids, teens, parents, and caregivers with skills needed to create positive online experiences, in partnership with the world's leading safety and industry organizations. At Roblox, she empowers platform users to self-govern and create a confident, resilient online community with the knowledge and tools to create positive experiences for themselves and others in the metaverse.
Mindy Brooks
Mindy is the General Manager for Google's kids and family initiative. Mindy and her team work to create safe and enriching experiences for children, teens and their families globally. Responsible for creating Googlewide strategic agendas, Mindy has also been instrumental in launching many products such as Google Accounts for kids under 13, Family Link, the Teacher Approved program on Google Play, and Android's first kid directed product, Google Kids Space. Prior to Google, Mindy worked at Netflix and Sesame Street, most recently as Director of Content and Innovation Research. Mindy holds a BA in Psychology and a MA in Applied Developmental and Educational psychology from New York University.
Iain Drennan
Iain has been the Executive Director of WeProtect Global Alliance since its launch as an independent international institution in April 2020. Previously, he led the UK Home Office's international response to child sexual abuse. Under Iain's leadership, the UK was assessed top out of 60 countries in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Out of the Shadows Index on response to child sexual abuse and ratified the Council of Europe's Lanzarote Convention against child sexual abuse. Prior to this, Iain worked in national security, foreign policy and counter terrorism roles in the UK civil service and diplomatic service, including a posting in Kabul where he managed the UK's multi-million dollar counter terrorism and anti-corruption justice programme
Markham Cho Erickson
Markham leads Google's Centers of Excellence—a global team of subject matter experts focused on the application of law and policy to technology and the Internet. The CoE is a hub for strategy and expertise on the global government affairs and public policy issues affecting Google's business today and in the future.
Courtney Gregoire
Courtney Gregoire serves as General Manager & Chief Digital Safety Officer for Microsoft Corporation. In this role, Courtney is responsible for Microsoft's company-wide digital safety strategy to reduce harm from illegal and harmful content online through technology, policy, and partnerships. From 2015-2019, Courtney led Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit work to combat cybercrime against vulnerable populations including children and the elderly.
Niamh Hodnett
Niamh Hodnett has extensive experience in designing, enforcing and managing compliance with regulatory obligations in the online and communications fields. Her experience includes measures to block access to child sex abuse material and to protect people at risk of gambling addiction, as well as regulation related to data protection, cybersecurity, competition and consumer protection in the communications sector.
Alex Holmes
Alex is Deputy CEO at non-profit The Diana Award, which is a legacy to Princess Diana's belief that young people have the power to change the world, recognising global changemakers and giving them the skills to further their social action. And a Director at BBC Children In Need focusing on their 'We Move' a fund & eventual movement empowering black children and young people. He is founder of peer-to-peer support programme Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, a network of trained young people dedicated to preventing peer on peer violence and all types of bullying particularly in schools. This is a programme Alex founded when aged 16, after experiencing bullying himself and witnessing the impact this can have on young minds and their mental health. The programme has trained over 45,000 young people across UK, Ireland, Greece, Miami (United States) empowering young people to keep themselves and their peers safe and happy, online and offline, a programme which is in 5,000 schools.
Fred Langford
Fred is Director of Trust and Safety Technology UK Communications Regulator Ofcom, a Visiting Professor at University of Suffolk, Visiting Professional Fellow at Aston University, member of the REPHRAIN (Bristol University) and INHOPE (International Hotline Association) Advisory Boards. Fred is also a Non-Exec Director.
Ãine Lynch
Ãine qualified as a nurse and then completed an honours degree in Behavioural Sciences. Ãine worked for two years in the area of child psychiatry and then worked with the ISPCC as the Childline Manager and Director of Services. In August 2007 Aine was appointed CEO of the National Parents Council Primary (NPC).
Victoria Nash
Victoria Nash is the Director, an Associate Professor, and Senior Policy Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII). In the latter role, she is responsible for connecting OII research with policy and practice. Her research interests draw on her background as a political theorist, and concern the normative policy implications of evidence characterising children's use of Internet technologies.
Henry Platten
With almost 20 years experience in Trust and Safety, first as a Police Sergeant and Detective, then as tech innovator, Henry Platten is on a mission of empowering respectful communications. The international presenter and media commentator has engaged audiences in 6 continents (he hasn't presented to Antarctica… yet). He recontributes to public policy as a safeguarding advisor, and as co founder of GoBubble leads the innovation and future vision of their patent-pending Emotion AI (which unlocks the emotions in communications, at scale).
Trisha Prabhu
Trisha Prabhu is the 23-year-old inventor and Founder and CEO of ReThinkâ„¢, a patented app that stops cyberbullying before the damage is done. The ReThink app detects offensive content and gives youth a chance to "ReThink" sending it, stopping cyberbullying before it happens. Today, in collaboration with schools and educational organizations, ReThink's technology, educational materials, and anti-cyberbullying advocacy have been shared with youth worldwide. The app is also now available in 8 international languages on the Google Play Store (where it was named one of Google Play's Most Innovative Apps). For her work with ReThink, Trisha is the humbled recipient of many awards, among them, the WebMD Health Hero Prodigy Award and the Princess Diana International Anti-Bullying Award; she was also selected to present ReThink at The White House. Trisha has also made waves as a contestant on ABC's Shark Tank and as the winner of Harvard University's President's Innovation Challenge and the Elevate Prize. In 2021, she was the youngest honoree named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 Social Impact list. Trisha is a TED speaker and has delivered 100+ talks in 30 cities about the power of "ReThinking." Her debut book, "ReThink the Internet," the world's first-ever "by-youth, for-youth" guide to the Internet, was released in May 2022 from Penguin Random House. Trisha is a summa cum laude graduate of Harvard University. She is now pursuing her postgraduate study at the University of Oxford as a United States Rhodes Scholar.
Dr. Andrew Przybylski
Andrew K. Przybylski is the Professor of Human Behaviour and Technology at the University of Oxford, researching how social media and video games impact motivation, health, and well-being. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, cited more than 30,000 times, and regularly advises policymakers on the effects of digital technologies on human development.
Matt Soeth
Matthew Soeth is Head of Trust and Safety and Global Affairs. Matt brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to All Tech Is Human. With over 10 years of experience working in online safety, Matt has worked on the ground in schools, at platforms, and at nonprofits advising and developing policy, tooling, and safety resources for global audiences. In addition, Matt is a respected leader in the field of Trust & Safety who has helped build a more cohesive field and helped open up pathways for new voices to enter the fray. Matt spent the past two years as Head of Trust and Safety at Spectrum Labs supporting gaming, dating and social platforms with their policy, tooling, workflows, and outreach. Matt also served as head of community for the #TSCollective where he helped to grow a community of online trust and safety professionals across the globe. Matt was also an active part of Atlantic Council's recent Task Force for a Trustworthy Future Web, speaking at their Washington, DC launch event for its related report, Scaling Trust on the Web.
Gill Whitehead
Gill is the current Chairperson of the Global Online Safety Regulators Network (GOSRN), while Ofcom holds the Chair seat in 2024. GOSRN is the only network of online safety regulators in the world, working to build regulatory coherence across jurisdictions working to keep their users safe online. Up until very recently, Gill was also Ofcom's Group Director for Online Safety where she led the implementation of one of the UK's most significant pieces of new tech legislation, the Online Safety Act. Prior to this, Gill was the inaugural Chief Executive of the UK's Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF) where she established the DRCF as a world-leading approach to implementing digital regulation. Since finishing her UK role, Gill has become a Visiting Policy Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, focusing on global developments in online and AI safety.
Lorna Woods
Lorna Woods is professor of Internet Law at the University of Essex and a member of the Human Rights Centre there. She started her career in private practice, advising in the technology, media and telecommunications sectors. Since moving to academia, she has taught, researched and published in these fields. Her most recent project, with Carnegie UK Trust, is on the regulation of social media, work which formed the basis for the UK's 2019 Online Harms White Paper and for which she received an OBE. She is a senior associate research fellow at the Information Law and Policy Centre at the Institute for Advanced Legal Studies, and a member of the ESRC Peer Review College, and of the Digital Freedom Fund's Panel of Experts. She has sat on the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) National User Group, advising the Surveillance Camera Commissioner and the police since 2015.Agenda
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Registration & Light Breakfast
11:00 AM – 11:05 AM: Welcome Remarks
– Tami Bhaumik, FOSI Chair
11:05 AM – 11:25 AM: Fireside Chat
– Stephen Balkam, FOSI
– Markham Cho Erickson, Google
11:25 AM – 12:10 PM: From Pixels to Policies: Exploring the Legislative Challenges of Online Safety
Making the online world a safer place has become a top priority for lawmakers and regulators. All around the globe, new departments, agencies, and commissioners are being tasked with a specific focus on online safety. This panel discussed the details of online safety bills and regulation that they see on a daily basis, as well as broader policy trends expanding across jurisdictions. Questions included how laws can promote online safety while still being rights respecting and privacy preserving, what opportunities exist for collaboration between public and private sectors, and where age assurance fits into these policies.
– Stephen Balkam, FOSI (moderator)
– Gill Whitehead, Ofcom
– Niamh Hodnett, Online Safety Commissioner, Ireland
– Professor Lorna Woods OBE, University of Essex
12:10 PM – 1:10 PM: Burnout to Balance: Wellbeing in a New Digital Era
The term “digital wellbeing” has become a part of everyday conversation, but what does it really mean, and can we best enact it when thinking about the use of social media, immersive technologies, or AI? What does the current data tell us? How has the conversation shifted over the past few years as technologies have advanced? Panelists shared their expertise and discussed ways in which both parents and kids can feel more empowered to take control of their relationship with technology in a healthy and balanced way.
– Charlotte Aynsley, FOSI & Digital Safeguarding Consultants (moderator)
– Tami Bhaumik, Roblox
– Mindy Brooks, Google
– Ãine Lynch, National Parents Council
– Andy Przybylski, Oxford Internet Institute
1:10 PM – 2:30 PM: Networking Luncheon
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Promoting Safety and Trust in genAI
Generative AI has become one of the most hotly debated and discussed technologies of the year. When used for good, its capacities are remarkable. But when bad actors take advantage of its capabilities, the potential for harm is serious. How do we ensure trust and safety in this new arena? How do we encourage innovative technologies while acknowledging and mitigating the risks? Panelists discussed the pros and cons of genAI through the lens of online safety, how various stakeholders can and should approach this technology, and how we can best prioritize safety for kids in quickly evolving digital experiences.
– Stephen Balkam, FOSI (moderator)
– Courtney Gregoire, Microsoft
– Vicki Nash, Oxford Internet Institute
– Henry Platten, GoBubble
– Matthew Soeth, Spectrum Labs
3:30 PM – 3:50 PM: Tea Break
3:55 PM – 4:55 PM: Emerging Horizons: Navigating the Future of Online Safety
As technology continues to evolve and iterate, what will the future hold? This panel reflected on how advancing in technologies will impact our everyday lives, and what this means for the future of online safety. Panelists discussed how all stakeholders, as well as parents and youth themselves, can navigate these complex and evolving times. What are the roles and responsibilities of industry, government, and civil society? From a variety of different perspectives, panelists examined the most important facets of online safety as we embark on a new era of digital innovation.
– Fred Langford, Ofcom (moderator)
– Julie de Bailliencourt, TikTok
– Iain Drennan, WeProtect
– Alex Holmes, The Diana Award
– Trisha Prabhu, ReThink
4:55 PM – 5:00 PM: Closing Remarks
– Stephen Balkam, FOSI
5:00 PM – Reception
please note that all times listed are in IST (Irish Summer Time, UTC+1)