Six years ago Prof. Gillian Hadfield at the University of Toronto wrote in QZ.com, "What we don’t hear nearly enough is the call to invent the future of regulation." It seemed the insanely fast development pace of multiple kinds of tech was becoming almost too hot for regulators to touch. Hadfield proposed "super-regulation," which she said would get governments "out of the business of legislating … [Read more...] about Safety by co-design: How we can take youth online safety to the next level
Law & Policy
Much-less-social media on Facebook’s 20th birthday
Facebook turns 20 today, but the platform is nothing like what it was in 2004 – or, more comparably, in 2008, when it overtook MySpace, it was open to all (not just uni students) and it had the reputation of being a “safe space,” Forbes reports, because everyone had to sign up with their real name. Ah, I remember it well. Despite the grilling he received on Capitol Hill last week, Mark … [Read more...] about Much-less-social media on Facebook’s 20th birthday
What child online safety really needs, senators
It was the 2024 version of public shaming – relentless on-camera questioning designed to send a message rather than hear answers. It seemed the lawmakers already had their answers. I get their frustration that... social media platforms can't just "install" the digital version of car seats and seat belts or create product labeling like on a cigarette package these companies and their … [Read more...] about What child online safety really needs, senators
The missing piece in US child online safety law
US kids and parents need a toll-free number to call or text for help in getting harmful online content taken down. After studying various kinds of help like this that youth and parents in Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand have, we at The Net Safety Collaborative piloted a proof of concept for this – with independent evaluation – in the last decade. Now, with so many state and federal … [Read more...] about The missing piece in US child online safety law
Generative AI: July 2023 freeze frame
It's feeling like I need a large language model brain to write about safety with large language models. [I certify that I only wish I had such a brain, and I am a human.] So let's freeze the film for a moment and see where we humans are with generative AI safety. First, so that we're all on the same page, a large language model is basically an algorithmic structure called a "neural … [Read more...] about Generative AI: July 2023 freeze frame