New report reveals UK as world leader in online safety innovation

27 May 2020 03:10 PM

The UK’s rapidly-growing safety tech sector is helping make the online world safer for millions of people, a report published yesterday shows.

The independent study, ‘Safer technology, safer users: The UK as a world leader in Safety Tech’, highlights significant growth within the sector, with the number of dedicated online safety firms doubling in the last five years and investment increasing more than eight-fold in 2019, making it a record year.

It shows there are almost two thousand people working in more than 70 companies across the UK, including in London, Leeds, Cambridge and Edinburgh.

Leading UK firm Crisp, based in Leeds, has created new technology that is used to detect and remove harmful content from social media and online games, contributing to the safety of an estimated two billion worldwide users each day. While London-based SuperAwesome helps more than 300 of the world’s top brands ensure their online engagements with children meet strict data privacy requirements.

The research, carried out between September 2019 and March 2020, comes as the government launches a Safety Tech Innovation Network, the world’s first forum for safety tech providers to collaborate and showcase their work, alongside a scheme to boost exports.

Minister for Digital and Culture, Caroline Dinenage, yesterday said:

We are all spending more time online during the pandemic and this new report shows the value the safety tech sector could add as we look to power growth out of it.

Its innovative products, many of which are developed in towns and cities across the country, are being used globally to help companies make their online platforms safer.

The government is leading the world, developing online harms laws and it’s great to see our brilliant British tech industry is part of the solution.

The companies highlighted in the report are providing tools to help protect users online and demonstrating the UK tech sector can be a central to tackling the challenge.

While the research for the report was carried out prior to the impact of coronavirus, high growth rates are still projected for the safety tech sector driven by increased demand for their products. The main findings of the report are:

The sector consists of companies in fields such as data and computer science providing a range of tech solutions and applications to help increase safety on websites and in apps and video games such as those allowing user-generated content and interactions.

Examples of British companies and the products and services they provide include:

To further capitalise on the sector’s success, and in response to the report’s recommendations, the government yesterday announcing:

Further quotes

Andy Burrows, head of child safety online policy, at NSPCC, yesterday said:

This report highlights how the creativity and passion of the UK tech sector can lead the world with new solutions to tackle online harms. The emergence of a thriving safety-tech sector is a crucial component of the move towards a Duty of Care, and to ensure tech firms can offer meaningful protections to children online.

Ian Stevenson, Chair of the UK’s Online Safety Tech Industry Association (OSTIA) and CEO of Cyan Forensics, yesterday said:

This report comes at a vital time for online safety – important strides are certainly being made, but the challenge to keep internet users safe is broad and ongoing. However, with resources such as today’s report and continued collaboration between specialist companies, industry organisations and the Government, we will continue to see real, sustained changes made in this sector; with the UK remaining as a leading light in the online safety space.

Julie Inman Grant, Australian eSafety Commissioner, yesterday said:

This report provides important insights into the burgeoning field of online safety tech, reflecting a growing recognition for the need to develop more responsible technology – with safety built in from the get-go. The significance of international collaboration, multi-stakeholder engagement, and investment in safety tech and ‘safety by design’ has never been more important.

Daniel Korski, CEO of PUBLIC, yesterday said:

Thanks to the efforts of some of the country’s most entrepreneurial minds, the UK has fast become a global leader in technologies to help guarantee safety online, as this report clearly shows. Investors should take note; with one quarter of the global online safety tech sector based here in the UK - and demand for such technologies only set to grow, not least because of Covid19 strictures - the opportunities offered by an early-stage market experiencing rapid, significant growth are very exciting.

Ellie Bradley, MD Registry and Public Benefit at Nominet yesterday said:

We’ve worked hard to understand what the most effective instruments will be to energise the safety tech sector in the UK. Leaning on our experience operating a world class domain registry, our cyber security expertise and our tech for good initiatives, means we are in a unique position to help enable the digital economy in this emerging space. The aim is that the innovation network we’ll be supporting provides an essential platform to foster creativity and collaboration in this dynamic sector - and bolstered by key research, business support and future investment we hope these interventions sow the seeds that see the UK leading the world in safety tech.

Notes to editors

The launch of the ‘Safer technology, safer users’ report follows the establishment in April 2020 of the UK Online Safety Tech Industry Association, OSTIA which brings together the UK’s leading safety tech companies. These include Crisp, SafeToNet, Securium, Yoti, Cubica Technology, DragonflAI, GoBubble, Image Analyser, Qumodo, SuperAwesome, Securus Software, Trust Elevate, VigilAI and Child Safe VPN.

Alongside the Safety Tech Innovation Network, Expo and Export pilot, the government will also:

A podcast interview with the report authors will be released by SafeToNet Foundation today, and will be available at the following URL: http://safetonetfoundation.libsyn.com/.