Safety technology

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‘Online safety risks don’t stop at the border, they traverse the world’ – why international online safety regulation matters

Published: 26 July 2024

We speak to Owen Bennett, Ofcom’s Head of International Online Safety, about how online safety policy affects us all in the UK and why international collaboration is so crucial.

Red Teaming for GenAI Harms - Revealing the Risks and Rewards for Online Safety

Published: 23 July 2024

Ofcom is exploring how online services could employ safety measures to protect their users from harm posed by GenAI.

Behavioural insights to empower social media users

Published: 21 May 2024

Boosting children's safety online: Help Centres

Published: 8 May 2024

This online trial tested different ways to encourage children to access age-appropriate user support materials (or help centre) during the sign-up process of a mock social media platform.

Online safety and data protection

Published: 1 May 2024

How Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) intend to collaborate in regulating online services.

Does autoplay distort what we watch online?

Published: 22 September 2023

Last updated: 25 September 2023

Autoplay and autoskip could be used to undermine – or enhance – online safety measures.

Can ‘microtutorials’ boost online safety?

Published: 28 July 2023

Last updated: 25 September 2023

Timely, targeted and short, ‘microtutorials’ are increasingly common for those of us who use smart devices. When you download an app, you will often be walked through how to use it. You are shown the key features. You might practise using them (like how to ‘swipe’ to change screen) . You receive ‘microdoses’ of teaching – tiny tutorials to build your awareness, capability and motivation to use the feature

Content moderation in user-to-user online services

Published: 14 September 2023

Last updated: 14 September 2023

Content moderation processes - an overview of the processes and trade-offs to mitigate harm.

Default effects and alert messages

Published: 14 July 2023

Last updated: 14 July 2023

Boosting users’ safety online: Microtutorials

Published: 7 July 2023

Last updated: 7 July 2023

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