TECH COALITION SAFE ONLINE RESEARCH FUND IS LAUNCHED

Safe Online

Children on a computer.

End Violence and the Technology Coalition have launched the Tech Coalition Safe Online Research Fund to expand knowledge of online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) and deliver actionable insights to prevent it.

“This important partnership with the Technology Coalition will accelerate the technology industry’s capacity to detect, prevent and eradicate online child sexual exploitation and abuse,” said Dr Howard Taylor, the Executive Director of End Violence. “With COVID-19 isolation making children spend more time online than ever, this research has never been more important.”

With COVID-19 isolation making children spend more time online than ever, this research has never been more important.

Dr Howard Taylor, Executive Director of End Violence

From now until 11 April 2021, we are seeking proposals for innovative research into this topic, with priority given to research that can inform the technology industry’s approach to combatting online CSEA. Winning proposals will be awarded grants from $20,000 to $250,000, for a total of $800,000 across all grants. Explore the Request for Proposals and apply.

The Technology Coalition is a group of 18 tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Apple and Twitter. As part of their efforts to protect children on digital platforms, the group launched this Research Fund as part of Project Protect, which seeks to prevent and eradicate online CSEA through technology innovation, collective action, research, knowledge sharing, and increased accountability. This fund is an essential part of that process, as it will spark research that will lead to real, lasting change for children’s digital safety.

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An independent Advisory Group has been created to help End Violence and the Technology Coalition solicit and award grants, disseminate research findings, and support knowledge-exchange activities to amplify the impact – and uptake – of research. The Advisory Group includes world-renown experts with extensive backgrounds in the field of online child safety, including leading academics Dr Michael Seto and Professor Julia Davidson, and experts based around the world including from Safernet Brazil, WeProtect Global Alliance, IJM Philippines, and Thorn. Meet the Advisory Group.

These research insights will inform policy and product design for industry players and other stakeholders.

Dr Howard Taylor, Executive Director of End Violence

As the lead of the research arm of the project, End Violence will manage the Tech Coalition Safe Online Research Fund while building on four years of work keeping children Safe Online. Since our inception in 2016, End Violence has invested $44 million in 52 projects focused on preventing and eliminating online CSEA, reaching more than 70 countries across the world.

“These research insights will inform policy and product design for industry players and other stakeholders,” said Taylor. “This will contribute to the global effort to tackle online CSEA while complementing the larger End Violence Safe Online investment portfolio.”

Learn more about this project from our partner, the Technology Coalition.

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