Stanford Internet Observatory

The Stanford Internet Observatory is a cross-disciplinary program studying the abuse of the Internet and providing thoughtful policy and technical solutions.

[issie lapowsky @issielapowsky]

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 https://t.co/aubyXO2caC

[Stanford Tech Impact and Policy Center @StanfordTIP]

🎟️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!

🔗https://t.co/UU1II8su15

[Stanford Internet Observatory @stanfordio]

@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!

[Stanford Tech Impact and Policy Center @StanfordTIP]

.@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:

https://t.co/twtHXRqxr7

[Stanford Internet Observatory @stanfordio]

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

[Stanford Internet Observatory @stanfordio]

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

https://t.co/SE4hnXenuS

[Stanford Internet Observatory @stanfordio]

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

[Stanford Internet Observatory @stanfordio]

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

[Stanford Internet Observatory @stanfordio]

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

[Stanford Internet Observatory @stanfordio]

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

[Stanford Internet Observatory @stanfordio]

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

[Ronald E Robertson @RERobertson]

New paper out today in Nature on how people interact with partisan and unreliable news on Google Search. With @_Jon_Green,@damianjruck, @Ognyanova, @bowlinearl, and @davidlazer

https://t.co/6qOhqbmeqw

[goodforMEdia @goodformedia]

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

[Stanford Tech Impact and Policy Center @StanfordTIP]

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."

https://t.co/QI4MPlXgGI