Stanford Internet Observatory

NEW: Researchers at @thorn and @stanfordio are out with a new paper on the rise in AI-generated child sexual abuse material. For @nytimes, I wrote about how tech leaders and lawmakers can prevent the problem from spiraling out of control nytimes.com/2023/06/24/bus…

🎟️Tickets are on sale for @stanfordio Trust and Safety Research Conference, to be held September 28-29, 2023. Lock in early bird prices by registering before August 1! 🔗cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/news/sio-TSRC-…

@dbateyko @StanfordCyber Thank you for all you have contributed to the team, Dan! We wish you the best as you pursue your academic goals and pursuits!

It has been a thrill to work with my top-notch colleagues @StanfordIO and @StanfordCyber. They showed me how make headway when the frontier seems like endless gridlocked, spinning wheels, and uninspiring solutions. That’s a lesson I’ll carry forward.

Today is my last day @StanfordIO! I'm starting a PhD this fall at @CornellInfoSci, studying AI and the administrative state with @karen_ec_levy 🎉 Ready—and excited!—to dedicate a few years to tackling these issues through inquiry and on-the-ground study.

.@stanfordio's recent investigation of platforms identified large networks of accounts, purportedly operated by minors, selling self-generated illicit sexual content. Meta has now set up a task force: theguardian.com/technology/202…

This work requires sustained, meaningful investments in Trust & Safety teams given the significant harms. We'll continue to work with platforms to improve detection & prevention of risks to child safety, both directly and in concert w/ @missingkids & @tech_coalition. 7/7

This work has started to have real-world impact. NCMEC and law enforcement are investigating probable content buyer accounts. @meta has fixed problems with user reporting and triage, as well as taking steps to limit discoverability. @twitter has improved its CSAM detection. 6/7

New SIO report out today on self-generated child sexual abuse material (SG-CSAM). A tip from @WSJ led to an investigation revealing a large network of what appeared to be underage users producing, marketing and selling explicit content. 1/7 cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/news/addressin…

Twitter is by no means the only platform dealing with CSAM, nor are they the primary focus of our upcoming report. Regardless, we're glad to have contributed to improving child safety on Twitter, and thank them for their help in remediating this issue. 6/6

Having no remaining Trust and Safety contacts at Twitter, we approached a third-party intermediary to arrange a briefing. Twitter was informed of the problem, and the issue appears to have been resolved as of May 20. 5/6

In the course of conducting a large investigation into online child exploitation, the Stanford Internet Observatory discovered serious failings with the child protection systems at Twitter. 1/6

New work from our postdoc @RERobertson out in @Nature today on how people interact with news on Google Search 🧵👇

How can we re-design social media to better support #youthmentalhealth? Youth shared their ideas directly with industry reps, academic researchers, and policymakers at our event in collaboration with the @stanforddschool on Friday. @stanfordio @StanfordSML @stanfordyouthmh

AI is not very good at interpreting nuance and context, says @noUpside of @stanfordio. "It’s not possible for it to entirely replace human content moderators—who are not always great at interpreting those things either." technologyreview.com/2023/05/15/107…