Nominet is a world-leading domain name registry that runs .UK - part of the UK's critical national infrastructure. As a public benefit organisation, Nominet's social impact programmes provide support and opportunities to tackle some of the most important digital issues facing young people in the UK today. In 2022, Nominet Social Impact commissioned PUBLIC to conduct a research project to inform a new grant fund focused on countering online illegal harms faced by young people, with a particular focus on child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). PUBLIC was tasked with mapping the system of stakeholders in the area of countering CSEA and making recommendations on areas that Nominet should consider funding.
Our research identified the key themes in the space, including how young people are using the internet and new technologies, as well as trends within these themes, for instance the self-generation of sexually abusive material by children. To validate our research we interviewed over 20 leading actors in the ecosystem including academics, policy makers, charities, advocacy groups and safety tech companies.
We created a systems map of existing initiatives against the trends we identified and assessed where additional research should be focussed. We published our findings in an interactive, web-based toolkit and facilitated an applied workshop for senior leadership from leading and innovative civil society organisations who had been invited to apply for the fund.
The research directly informed Nominet’s decision to focus on specific areas of systemic innovation, directing £3m of funding over three years. As a result, Nominet also asked PUBLIC to extend our involvement in the fund by offering strategic advice to organisations as they build their proposals and through convening the ecosystem to promote systemic innovation during the course of the fund.
Authors
Partnering with DCMS to operate the UK’s first Safety Tech Challenge Fund - a groundbreaking grant programme aimed at empowering safety tech innovation to enhance child online safety
Through extensive desk research, use case development and stakeholder engagement, we recommended four areas of focus for the EHRC’s Strategic Plan relating to AI and equality and human rights.
Developing recommendations grounded in leading industry insights to empower DSIT to support the SafetyTech sector’s growth effectively and navigate potential challenges
Empowering DSIT to assess the Online Safety Bill’s effectiveness with a flexible M&E framework informed by robust research
Researching accreditation approaches across the technology sector to develop recommendations for a tailored accreditation process for the online safety tech industry
Comprehensive research to equip Ofcom with a deep understanding of online content accessibility via search services, informing online safety guidance
Crafting a comprehensive Interactive Services (IS) Model to provide Ofcom with a common framework for understanding user journeys and platform workflows
Conducting a detailed analysis of the emerging SafetyTech sector to enable DCMS to make informed decisions and continue supporting the sector’s expansion
Mapping the current state of the Age Assurance market, identifying representative use cases, and key challenges to help DCMS gain a more in-depth understanding of a rapidly evolving technology sector
Researching the existing taxonomy, prevalence, legislative and regulatory landscape, and emerging trends related to Child Financial Harms
Developing a ‘minimum-viable product’ for a standards framework to assess online safety compliance solutions
Through mixed methods user research we mapped the prevalence and impact of OVAWG, identified key dynamics characterising how these harms occur, and categorised 18 harm types.
Researched innovative design approaches that can support the safety of women and girls on online platforms and services.
Facilitating data access to catalyse innovation in the Safety Tech sector
