Emerging Online Trends in Child Sexual Abuse 2023
In this report from Thorn, they share critical insights and action steps for tech companies regarding emerging online trends in CSAM in 2023.
Report
A report from an academic group or civil society organization that hasn't been peer-reviewed or formally published in a book, journal, or proceeding
Trust & Safety: A Snapshot of the Field 2022
The power of digital platforms and everyday technology to facilitate a catalog of harms—including misinformation, extremism, surveillance, harassment, and violence—is a growing societal concern. We rely on Trust and Safety professionals to counter these harms. This report is a snapshot of Trust and Safety work—what it is and what it may become—informed by the perspectives of both technology companies and Trust and Safety professionals themselves.
Ofcom Research: A Model for Understanding User Journeys in Online Gaming Environments
The Interactive Services Model (ISM) sets out user journeys, workflows used by platforms, and the trust and safety measures relied upon by different services. Desk research and interviews were used to inform the representative model by building an understanding of the typical user journey through an interactive service experience. For further information on the methodology and definitions used for the purposes of this project please refer to the overview document below.
The Procedural Justice Framework for Tech Professionals
This report uses the procedural justice theory to provide a framework for building effective content moderation strategies. Decades of research from the criminal legal setting, along with more recent research in the online space, suggests that a deterrence approach may not be the most optimal. Studies indicate that platforms can build trust and improve rule adherence by adopting a procedural justice approach.
Online Grooming: Examining Risky Encounters Amid Everyday Digital Socialization
Thorn's latest research sought to understand kids’ online social networks to better disentangle high-value versus high-risk relationships. In a survey of 1,200 youth (aged 9-17), we explored young people’s attitudes and experiences with friendships and flirting online, and how they respond to threats of manipulation, grooming, and abuse. With 2 in 5 of all kids reporting they’ve been approached online by someone they thought was attempting to “befriend and manipulate” them, relevant and scalable interventions are urgently needed.
Self-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material: Youth Attitudes and Experiences in 2021
Thorn’s latest research monitors the evolution of youth attitudes and experiences with SG-CSAM among 9-17 year-olds for the third consecutive year. Findings from 2021 reveal a sustained increase in the number of young people sharing their own SG-CSAM as well as the perceived normalcy of non-consensually re-sharing another child’s SG-CSAM. The data also underscored heightened risk among boys and Hispanic/Latino youth.
Responding to Online Threats: Minors’ Perspective on Disclosing, Reporting, and Blocking in 2021
Thorn's latest research on youth’s attitudes toward online safety features found that 22 percent of minors report having online sexual interactions with adults—the same percentage of minors who report having sexual interactions with peers their own age. The research, which builds on our 2020 report on the same topic, also underscores that the features provided by platforms are simply insufficient when it comes to keeping kids safe.
TRUST: Transparency Reporting Implementation Guide
The Tech Coalition’s Trust: Voluntary Framework for Industry Transparency (the Framework) provides principles- based guidance to tech companies seeking to build trust around their efforts to address online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) risks on their services. This guide serves to aid industry in implementing the Framework and moving toward better alignment in transparency reporting.
Trust: Voluntary Framework for Industry Transparency
Trust: Voluntary Framework for Industry Transparency (the Framework) was developed by the Tech Coalition to provide principles-based guidance to tech companies seeking to build trust around their efforts to address online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) risks on their services. The Framework outlines principles that provide a general basis for considering how to approach transparency reporting and recommended report categories.
Online Extremism and Terrorism Researchers’ Security, Safety, and Resilience: Findings from the Field
VOX-Pol's new report presents findings from the REASSURE (Researcher, Security, Safety, and Resilience) project's in-depth interviews with 39 online extremism and terrorism researchers. Based at universities, research institutes, and think tanks in Europe and North America, the interviewees studied mainly, albeit not exclusively, far-right and violent jihadist online activity. The report catalogues for the first time the range of harms they have experienced, the lack of formalised systems of care or training, and their reliance therefore on informal support networks to mitigate those harms.
