As part of the Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Initiative, which aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we are committed to showcasing solutions that drive meaningful societal impact and spotlighting our partners' growth stories on the marketplace. In celebration of International Women's Day and Women's History Month this year, I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Rachel O'Connell, CEO & Founder at TrustElevate, to learn about her journey as a partner.
About Anthony: Anthony leads the worldwide initiative Microsoft's Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact. Microsoft Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact supports the entrepreneurs, who are using technology to solve our world's most pressing challenges.
About Rachel: Dr. Rachel O'Connell is a leading expert on online child safety. Her PhD examined paedophile activity online and the implications for investigative strategies. Rachel set up the first UK Internet safety centre in 2000, and was Chief Security office for social networking platform Bebo between 2006-2010. Rachel is the founder of TrustElevate, author of a technical standard published by the British Standards Institution that describes how to verify the age band a person belongs to in a privacy-preserving, secure manner.
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[AV]: Tell us about TrustElevate and its mission. What inspired the founding?
[RO]: The internet has revolutionised our lives, offering endless opportunities for connection, learning, and entertainment. However, for children, navigating the online world can be risky. TrustElevate is on a mission to change that.
Inspired by a Passion for Child Safety: The driving force behind TrustElevate comes from a deep understanding of the online threats children face. My PhD research focused on analysing paedophile activity on the internet, highlighting the critical need for platforms to know their users' ages to create safe spaces. This conviction only strengthened during my time running internet safety centres. Here, I witnessed firsthand the risks children encountered online and educated them, parents, teachers, and social workers on how to navigate the digital world safely.
These experiences, coupled with working for the social networking site Bebo, further underscored the urgent need for robust age verification tools. Bebo, a popular platform in the early 2000s, faced challenges in ensuring a safe environment for its diverse user base. It was clear: effective age verification was a missing piece in the puzzle of online child safety.
TrustElevate emerged from this desire to bridge that gap.
Our Mission: Safeguarding Children and Empowering Responsible Platforms
At TrustElevate, we believe children deserve a safe and age-appropriate online experience. We work towards this goal in two key ways:
- Verifying Child Age: Imagine a platform knowing the true age of every user. This is the foundation of online safety. TrustElevate's age verification technology ensures platforms can tailor their content and interactions to suit different age groups, creating a safer environment for everyone.
- Enabling Digital Parenting for Young Children: Online safety requires a responsible adult's involvement for very young children. TrustElevate verifies parental responsibility. This ensures parents or guardians can make informed decisions about their child's online data and consent to data processing. We also empower parents to guide their children's online journey, fostering a sense of trust and responsibility.
When digital platforms mishandle children's data or expose them to illegal and harmful content, TrustElevate empowers parents to take action on their child's behalf and hold the platform accountable. Our system provides a date- and time-stamped record proving when the platform knew its users' ages.
The Ripple Effect of Age Awareness: When platforms know the ages of their users, it's not just about content moderation. It empowers them to fulfil their duty of care towards children and young people. Imagine social media platforms prioritising age-appropriate content discovery algorithms, gaming platforms implementing stricter parental controls, and streaming services tailoring content recommendations based on age. This is the future TrustElevate is working towards - a collaborative effort between technology providers and platforms to create a safe and enriching online world for our children.
TrustElevate is committed to creating a safer online environment for children by empowering businesses and parents to take an active role. Through age verification and parental responsibility solutions, we can shape a digital world where children can explore, learn, and connect responsibly.
[AV]: Can you tell us a bit about the application(s) you have available on the marketplace? How does it work?
[RO]: We are thrilled to be a Microsoft partner and have our service available on Microsoft Azure. Our specialist area is verifying children's ages and - most importantly - TrustElevate verifies the parent-child relationship. This is important because regulators are increasingly requiring this from companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta and TikTok which provide family safety tools. TrustElevate has also expanded its offering to include know your customer (KYC) verification for all age groups, providing one solution for all identities, all ages and all parents on any service.
[AV]: AI is top of mind for all of us. How is TrustElevate leveraging or planning to leverage AI in app development?
[RO]: TrustElevate has a pending process patent incorporating AI and a fuzzy logic algorithm. This innovative solution aims to provide a zero-knowledge approach to accounting for common typos. In addition, we're collaborating with potential partners to leverage AI for social media platforms. This would enable the platform to analyse multiple reports about a verified user or an age-estimated user. The AI essentially functions as an intelligent monitoring system, detecting anomalous behaviour patterns that might indicate potential misconduct and warrant further investigation. We're building these solutions by leveraging Microsoft's AI tools.
[AV]: What Microsoft cloud products did you use in your app development? What value is this enabling with your customers?
[RO]: We're delighted to be a partner of Microsoft and to be accessible via Microsoft Azure. We are currently going through the ISV preferred independent software vendor validation process.
[AV]: How has Microsoft supported you along your journey?
[RO]: Being part of Microsoft's Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact has benefitted TrustElevate extraordinarily. It has afforded us access to people within the company who lead business verticals that are directly relevant to TrustElevate and to which TrustElevate can add significant value. It's connected us with those people, and as TrustElevate's founder, I am also leading in the development of an additional technical standard that underpins the verification: the process that underpins and will state the levels of confidence one can have in the different types of approaches to verifying parental responsibility for a child.
We're working with Microsoft’s Standards Teams and learning a huge amount. We're also planning to conduct pilots that will enable us to demonstrate the full strength of the suite of our solutions.
[AV]: How does TrustElevate align its business to enable positive impact for your customers and communities?
[RO]: At TrustElevate, our mission is clear: create a safer internet for children and young people. We take a collaborative approach, working alongside technology companies, parents, teachers, social workers, technical standards experts, and child rights advocates to ensure our solutions address real-world needs.
Shaping Legislation and Industry Standards: Our commitment to online safety extends beyond product development. Our founder was the subject matter expert that advised on and Trustelevate actively participated in the UK Government’s programme of work titled the Verification of Children Online (VoCO) designed to address children's online safety challenges. VoCO involved trialling services including TrustElevate’s which was found to be feasible, scalable and reliable. The valuable outputs of VoCO helped inform the drafting of the UK government's Online Safety Act 2023, a significant step towards a more secure online environment.
Protecting Children's Wellbeing: TrustElevate recognises the broader impact of the digital world on children's health. We've partnered with the World Health Organization to explore the link between digital advertising and childhood obesity. Our collaborative efforts aim to develop measures that mitigate the risks associated with children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing online.
Supporting Mental Health Initiatives: We understand the importance of mental health support in the digital age. By working with mental health organisations, we help them develop effective online services to reach young people in need. Additionally, we collaborate with social media platforms, particularly their abuse management teams, to improve systems for identifying and supporting users who self-report issues like suicidal ideation or eating disorders.
Measuring Social Impact: TrustElevate is committed to measuring the positive impact of safety technology on society. We're partnering with Ashoka, a leading social impact organisation, to develop a framework for measuring the societal impact of safety tech solutions offered by companies like TrustElevate. This will allow us to track progress and ensure our efforts are making a real difference in the lives of children and young people.
[AV]: What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
[RO]: Women's History Month is a powerful reminder of women's immense contributions throughout history, especially in often overlooked fields. While many associate scientific breakthroughs and inventions primarily with men, history is filled with brilliant female innovators who have shaped our world.
Think of Grace Brewster Hopper, a U.S. Navy rear admiral who pioneered computer programming languages and co-created the first compiler. Or consider Hedy Lamarr, a natural mathematician and Hollywood actress who, alongside George Antheil, developed a groundbreaking concept for frequency-hopping spread spectrum communication. This technology forms the foundation for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. These are just a few examples of the countless women who have driven innovation and progress.
Women's History Month is crucial for showcasing these role models to young people, particularly girls considering careers in STEM fields. By highlighting these achievements, we can dismantle existing biases and inspire future generations. Hopefully, the next generation will grow up with a balanced view of history, recognising the incredible contributions of women in all areas, including business leadership, technology, and invention. They'll see that women can be CEOs, inventors, mothers, and anything they set their minds to.
[AV]: What advice do you have for women founders and leaders who are considering or want to grow their skills and careers in the tech industry?
[RO]: The tech industry offers incredible opportunities for women founders and leaders. TrustElevate is passionate about encouraging more women to pursue careers in this dynamic field.
Here are some key strategies to grow your skills and advance your tech career:
- The tech landscape is constantly evolving. Take advantage of free online courses, attend industry conferences, and explore professional development opportunities offered by your company. These resources will equip you with the latest skills and knowledge to stay ahead of the curve.
- Don't underestimate the power of networking. Attend industry meetups, both online and in-person, to connect with other women in tech. Building a strong professional network can open doors to new opportunities and mentorships.
- Don't shy away from asking for help or expressing your career goals. Make sure your manager is aware of your desire to expand your skillset. Many companies offer internal training programs and tuition reimbursement for relevant certifications. Highlighting courses that benefit both you and the company can make a compelling case.
- Find female role models in the tech industry. Read their success stories, and consider reaching out for mentorship opportunities. Having a mentor can provide valuable guidance and support on your professional journey.
- There are numerous resources available to support women in tech. By actively seeking opportunities for development, building a strong network, and advocating for yourself, you can excel in your tech career.
- Remember, the tech industry thrives on diversity of thought and experience. Your unique perspective and contributions are invaluable.
We believe in building a diverse and inclusive workforce where women can reach their full potential.
Absolutely, collaboration is a cornerstone of TrustElevate's approach. We're fortunate to work with several Microsoft partners to advance online safety for children.
- Microsoft Internal Teams: We have valuable partnerships with Kim Kunes, Head of Family Safety, and Roberta Roberts, Head of Security for Retail at Microsoft. Additionally, the Microsoft Azure team and standards specialists are providing crucial guidance through the entrepreneurship program.
- External Partners: In addition to Microsoft, we collaborate with BT, which utilises Microsoft Entra. This cross-industry collaboration fosters knowledge exchange and innovation.
TrustElevate leads a collaborative effort to establish a robust eKYC (Electronic Know Your Customer) standard specifically for the under-18 marketplace. This is a groundbreaking initiative, as such a standard hasn't existed previously.
Through cooperation with various Microsoft partners, we're making significant progress in defining this standard and raising industry awareness. This collaborative approach allows us to not only educate and inform others but also learn valuable insights from our partners.
[AV]: What are you most proud of in your journey building/leading TrustElevate? What’s next?
[RO]: Looking back at TrustElevate's journey, I'm most proud of the sheer tenacity and resilience it took to get us here. Tackling a complex challenge like online child safety demands unwavering dedication and I'm incredibly grateful for our team's unwavering commitment.
Beyond our dedicated team, several groups have been instrumental in our success. These include our family, friends, and angel investors who believe in our vision for a safer online environment for children.
The invaluable mentoring and support we received from accelerator programs like UK's NCSC, Plug and Play, Accenture, London Business School, and Digital Catapult were critical in our development. Most recently, joining Microsoft's Entrepreneurship for Positive Social Impact program has provided us with additional resources and opportunities to scale our impact.
TrustElevate's future is brimming with excitement. We have a unique opportunity to scale our solutions and reach a wider audience, creating a safer online environment for children globally. This will be achieved through continued collaboration—both internally within our team and externally with our valued partners.
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