Next-Gen Education: Harnessing Generative AI | IGF 2023 WS #495

Knowledge Graph of Debate

Session report

Moderator

The Digital Trust and Safety Partnership brings together technology companies, including Microsoft and Google, to develop industry best practices for trust and safety. This collaboration aims to create a safer online environment for users by addressing potential risks and harms associated with digital technology.

One key focus area for the partnership is the work stream on digital safety risk assessment. This involves conducting human rights risk assessments, data protection impact assessments, and AI or algorithmic impact assessments. By comprehensively addressing these risks, the partnership aims to identify and mitigate potential harms.

The partnership advocates for the adoption of a risk assessment framework in online safety. This involves identifying risks, reducing them, mitigating harm, and repairing any damage caused. Reporting incidents is also emphasized to ensure accountability and learning from past experiences.

In addition to risk assessment, the partnership recognizes the importance of understanding risk factors and measuring their impact. This helps in developing effective strategies to address online safety issues.

The World Economic Forum’s coalition is commended for its ability to bring together experts from different fields to determine best practices for digital safety. This collaborative effort ensures a holistic approach and cross-sector knowledge sharing.

The Global Coalition for Digital Safety actively counters digital harms through media literacy initiatives. By promoting media literacy, the coalition aims to combat disinformation and educate users about safe online practices.

Involving different stakeholders, organizations, and companies is emphasized throughout the discussions. This inclusive approach promotes innovation and fosters fruitful discussions in tackling online safety challenges.

The issue of technology-facilitated abuse is highlighted, emphasizing the need for comprehensive safety measures that protect all individuals, not just those traditionally considered “vulnerable.”

Furthermore, the importance of gendered safety by design is stressed. Companies need to understand how online abuse affects women differently and incorporate measures to address these challenges. It’s also important to recognize and adjust when gendered safety measures fail.

Support for small and medium-sized companies in achieving online safety is recognized. These companies often face resource constraints, and tools such as the Digital Trust and Safety Partnership and eSafety risk assessment tool can assist them.

The discussion also emphasizes the need to incorporate online safety considerations into privacy design. Ensuring transparency about data collection and its use for safety purposes is crucial.

Finally, the challenges of creating global solutions for online safety that are locally sensitive are acknowledged. Localized and culturally sensitive approaches are crucial to address the unique challenges faced in different regions.

In conclusion, the Digital Trust and Safety Partnership, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum’s coalition and the Global Coalition for Digital Safety, aims to develop industry best practices for trust and safety in the digital realm. Through risk assessment, stakeholder involvement, gendered safety considerations, and support for small and medium-sized companies, the partnership strives to create a safer online environment for all users.

Audience

The Global Coalition for Digital Safety, initiated by the World Economic Forum, is a multi-stakeholder platform aimed at addressing harmful online content. It includes members from tech platforms, safety tech players, government regulators, civil society, international organizations, and academia. The coalition’s work is divided into four work streams: developing global principles for digital safety, digital safety design and innovation, digital safety risk framework, and media information literacy for tackling disinformation. The principles aim to address specific harms such as child exploitation, terrorism, violent extremism, and hate speech. The coalition emphasizes the importance of diverse collaboration, transparency, evidence-based solutions, and understanding the interconnectedness of online issues. It also highlights the need for comprehensive assessment of risks, tackling the challenges posed by immersive and invasive technologies, and sharing best practices. The Digital Trust and Safety Partnership, consisting of companies like Microsoft and Google, is working on industry best practices. The coalition focuses on gendered safety, involvement of non-Western corporations, and engaging diverse voices. It also recognizes the challenges faced by underserved communities and emphasizes the importance of privacy impact assessments. Leveraging data with transparency, developing scalable and culturally sensitive solutions, and involving youth and community participation are key aspects of the coalition’s work. Overall, the coalition aims to create a safe and inclusive online environment through collaboration and best practices.

Connie Man Hei Siu

During the discussion, the speakers explored the differentiation between cybersecurity and online safety, highlighting their distinct focuses and roles. The Web was mentioned as a platform that specifically centres its efforts on cybersecurity aspects.

Cybersecurity is primarily concerned with protecting infrastructure and data. It emphasises preparedness for potential cyber attacks, including safeguarding critical systems, networks, and data centres from unauthorised access, intrusion, and theft. By prioritising the security of essential infrastructure and sensitive information, cybersecurity aims to prevent and mitigate potential damage and disruptions caused by cyber threats.

On the other hand, online safety primarily revolves around ensuring safe and secure user experiences. Its objectives include addressing and combating harmful content present on the internet, such as cyberbullying, explicit or inappropriate materials, and scams. Online safety initiatives aim to create a safer online environment, especially for vulnerable groups like children and teenagers. This involves educating users about potential risks, raising awareness of safe practices, and implementing content management strategies to filter out harmful content.

The speakers agreed on the importance of establishing a clear distinction between these two areas. Differentiating between cybersecurity and online safety allows for appropriate allocation of resources and attention to address the specific challenges and objectives related to each domain. It also enables effective collaboration and coordination among policymakers, industry professionals, and users.

Throughout the discussion, it became evident that cybersecurity and online safety are interrelated but require separate strategies and approaches. While cybersecurity focuses on protecting critical infrastructure and data, online safety centres on safeguarding users’ well-being and ensuring positive digital experiences. Recognising the distinctive roles of cybersecurity and online safety is essential for the development of comprehensive strategies that enhance digital security and foster safer internet environments.

In conclusion, the discussion emphasised the importance of differentiating between cybersecurity and online safety. The Web’s attention to cybersecurity aspects, along with its focus on protecting infrastructure, data, and preparing for cyber attacks, was highlighted. Online safety, on the other hand, centres around combating harmful content and building a safer online environment for users. Recognising these distinctions enables the implementation of targeted measures and collaborations that promote both cybersecurity and online safety, ultimately contributing to a more secure and user-friendly digital landscape.

Speakers