Portability in practice - keeping children safe online
The most frequently asked question regarding data portability is “what are the use cases?”, and for many years the story has been mostly one-dimensional: using the same data in a different or a new place, but generally in the same sort of way. But a steady stream of new applications to our Data Trust Registry tells a different story, one of the diverse possibilities that user-led data transfers can bring. I’m excited to share these case studies here.
I’m starting off with a German startup called Helmit, which has Trust Level 2 in our Registry (the highest level), and proudly displays the DTI Badge of Accreditation on its website. Their tools address an issue that is highly topical and certainly one that is front of mind for me – how do we keep our kids safe online?
Banning, or age-gating, social media for children is the most extreme policy option that is gaining traction in various countries, having been implemented in Australia already, with similar policy proposals announced in other jurisdictions including the UK and the EU. As a parent of two young children I understand the reasons for this tough approach, but then as a policy professional I can’t unsee the implementation challenges and potential unintended consequences.
Toward the other end of the interventionist spectrum, there are various parental control tools that help parents moderate and monitor their children’s online activity, many of which enable parents to read the messages their child sends and receives. As children get older, they will understandably seek ways to circumvent this privacy invasion, which will undermine the protection.
Leonardo and Alexander – Helmit’s co-founders – are pioneering a different path. Their AI-powered child safety and parental control app is designed to actively combat digital violence while preserving children’s right to privacy. This balance between online safety and privacy is made possible through data portability.
Through various data portability integrations, such as Meta’s Export Your Information (EYI) tool, Helmit’s users can import their children’s social media account data (with appropriate prior authorisations of course) to an AI scanning tool stored locally on device. Rather than reading through all their children’s online interactions across multiple platforms, the AI tool does it in real time and notifies the parents only when a threat has been identified – for example, when it detects signs of behavioral threat patterns, such as adult grooming tactics, coercion, or severe bullying.
When combined with AI technology stored locally, portability can help empower parents to keep their kids safer online without invading their personal life. I’m hopefully still a good few years away from facing this problem myself, but I am reassured to know that there are innovative companies like Helmit developing solutions that can complement the regulatory debate.