Understanding synthetic data use in online safety

Introduction

Synthetic and generative data present a promising avenue for accelerating online safety research and development; for example, in enhancing content moderation on digital platforms. The technology is no silver bullet, but its responsible use might help developers, practitioners, and innovators to overcome existing technical barriers to access data while also mitigating bias and privacy concerns.

However, the use of such data demands careful consideration of risks. This project is creating guidance on how innovators and developers can use synthetic data in a responsible and ethical way.

This research is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology and additional guidance has been provided by experts at Ofcom and the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation.