In August, researchers exploring the societal impact of technology were invited to submit proposals for the Trust & Safety Research Awards. These awards offer grants of up to $100,000 each to support research across various disciplines related to Trust & Safety within technology.
Today, we are excited to introduce the recipients of the awards and their research proposals, aiming to address critical issues in tech policy, such as promoting safety for children and teenagers and combating misinformation. Solving complex challenges requires collaboration among diverse perspectives and resources, and we are eager to see the progress these researchers will achieve in the upcoming year as they contribute valuable insights to the broader ecosystem.
Recipients of the 2023 Trust & Safety Research Awards
- Sylvia Ilieva (Sofia University, Bulgaria) and Keith P Kiely (Sofia University, Bulgaria) will conduct research on the disinformation landscape in Bulgaria, mapping national context and disinformation narratives targeting minority groups.
- Katharina Krombholz (CISPA, Germany) will focus on developing warning and reporting tools for children and teenagers to combat online child sexual exploitation in end-to-end-encrypted messaging apps.
- Mai ElSherief (Northeastern University, U.S.) and Kristen Vaccaro (University of California San Diego, U.S.) are investigating misinformation about migrants, conducting a parallel study on misinformation patterns in the U.S. and EU.
- Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar (Purdue University, U.S.) and Virginia Soldino Garmendia (Universitat de València, Spain) will explore the influence of gender and age on online grooming dynamics through a cross-cultural analysis of offender tactics and victim responses.
- Josephine Wolff (Tufts University, U.S.) will analyze perspectives on the EU AI Act from private and public sector stakeholders.
- Hazel Murray (Munster Technological University, Ireland) and Sanchari Das (University of Denver, U.S.) will focus on enhancing digital trust by developing tailored financial fraud defense mechanisms for older adults.
- Kolis Summerer (Free University of Bozen, Italy) and Matteo Leonida Mattheudakis (University of Bologna, Italy) will work on clarifying the concept of illegal content under the EU’s Digital Services Act.
- Jakob Demant (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) will explore the challenges faced by smaller European countries in moderating and flagging crime and hate content.
- Taylor Berg-Kirkpatrick (University of California San Diego, U.S.) and Stefan Savage (University of California San Diego, U.S.) will utilize LLMs to analyze digital fraudster behavior by experimenting with chatbots as honeypots.
The Importance of Trust & Safety Research
Trust & Safety (T&S) has emerged as a critical sector in the tech industry in recent years. There is growing recognition of the importance of product safety and an understanding of the societal implications of technology, particularly as many of these risks continue to evolve and pose complex challenges. Our T&S Research team collaborates with anthropologists, social science and human-computer interaction researchers, civil society and policy experts, and representatives from affected communities to contribute ongoing research to mitigate tech risks and foster positive societal outcomes. This research also plays a vital role in shaping our internal policy development and enforcement processes. We partner with academic institutions, publish our findings to enhance industry-wide comprehension, and engage diverse audiences through the Google Safety Engineering Center for Content Responsibility, industry events like TrustCon, and journals such as the Journal of Online Trust & Safety. By offering Trust & Safety research awards, our aim is to bridge the gap between academic researchers and technologists developing innovative products, ultimately improving outcomes for the wider ecosystem.
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