Independent research on what keeps people safe online.
We evaluate the effectiveness of online safety measures for regulators, government, and civil society. Our research is independent, evidence-led, and published openly.
Effectiveness of safety tech
We test whether safety technologies deliver what they promise, across accuracy, circumvention, and privacy.
Evaluation methodology
We design the methods that let governments and regulators measure interventions rigorously and fairly.
Regulatory benchmarking
We map regulatory expectations to measurable benchmarks, so progress can be tracked over time.
Projects
Australia's Age Assurance Technology Trial
In 2024, the Australian Government commissioned a consortium of organisations, including Illuminate Tech, to deliver a large-scale trial of the effectiveness of age assurance and online parental control technologies. Illuminate Tech are leading the trial's approach to Ethics, Privacy, and Impartiality, as well as overseeing the design of the trial's technical evaluation activities in a manner informed by international standards. Read the trial's Evaluation Proposal, led by Illuminate Tech CTO Dr. Asad Ali, and other project deliverables on the trial website.
Read the findings →Project DefAI
On-device, "zero data" approaches to age estimation technology have potential to offer accessible, privacy-preserving means of providing people with age-appropriate online experiences. But just as these technologies are reaching maturity, generative AI risks undermining their effectiveness by facilitating new ways of circumventing age estimation. Project DefAI, a joint UK-Swiss project funded by InnovateUK and Innosuisse, seeks to develop and test new tools to detect and defend against gen-AI facilitated adversarial attacks.
Read more →Age Verification Solution – European Commission Project
Illuminate Tech are contributing to a flagship initiative led by the European Commission to strengthen online safety for minors. Illuminate tech CTO Dr. Asad Ali is advising on the technical design of a privacy-preserving, device-based age verification solution that prioritises security, data minimisation, and reusability across digital services. This work supports the EU's broader objectives under the Digital Services Act and the Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy. The goal is to develop a robust, standards-based system that allows users to verify they are over 18 without revealing any additional personal information. The outcome of the project is expected to be a reusable, white-label application that Member States can customise and distribute. Working on this project reinforces our position at the intersection of regulation, technology, and policy, and showcases our ability to contribute to the development of scalable, privacy-conscious safety solutions in line with regulatory frameworks like the Digital Services Act and the UK's Online Safety Act.
Read the initiative →Fresh from the team
Meta and YouTube found liable for addictive design. What it means for platforms.
A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable for deliberately building addictive platforms that harmed a child user. The case for safety governance no longer rests on fines and reputation alone. Civil liability at scale is now a third pillar.
Children's access to online services: a governance framework for compliance
"Likely to be accessed by children?" Children's access is shaping global online safety regulation. Here is how platforms can assess access in a defensible, regulator-ready way.
Online Safety Act compliance: a framework for better risk assessments
What we learned from reviewing Ofcom's response to platforms' first attempts at Online Safety Act risk assessments, distilled into eight steps that meet the regulator's expectations.
Commission research or collaborate with our team.
We work with regulators, government, and civil society on the evidence behind online safety policy.