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, , 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:
-
UK safety tech providers currently hold an
estimated 25 per cent of the global market share
-
The number of dedicated safety tech firms has
doubled in the last five years, with 70 firms
identified in the report. Almost half have an
international presence
-
In 2019, the sector generated £226 million in
annual revenues, and has grown rapidly with an
estimated 35 per cent annual growth rate since 2016
-
Some of the most established companies (those
earning in excess of £5 million) have grown at
rates of up to 90 per cent a year, and the report
estimates that safety tech revenues could exceed £1
billion by 2025.
-
In 2015, the safety tech sector raised £6 million
in external investment across ten deals. By 2019,
the figure had increased more than eightfold to £51
million across nineteen deals.
-
The report anticipates the UK is likely to see its
first safety tech unicorn (a company worth over $1
billion) emerge in the coming years, with three
other companies also demonstrating the potential to
hit unicorn status in the early 2020s.
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:
-
Cyan Forensics, Cubica Technology and VigilAI are
working closely with law enforcement on ‘digital
forensics’ - the automated identification, location
and removal of illegal child sexual abuse and
terrorist material
-
Crisp, Qumodo and Spirit AI are assisting
moderators of social media and gaming platforms to
actively identify and respond to bullying,
harassment and abuse on their platforms
-
SuperAwesome, SafeToNet, Yoti and Trust Elevate are
providing tools that verify the age of users and
ensure phones, tablets and the apps on them are
safe and appropriate for children
-
South West Grid for Learning, Smoothwall and
Opendium are filtering, blocking or blacklisting
harmful content across school, business or home
internet
-
Full Fact, Factmata and Astroscreen are tackling
false, misleading or harmful online narratives, by
providing fact-checking services or promoting
trusted news and information
To further capitalise on the sector’s success, and in
response to the report’s recommendations, the
government is today announcing:
-
A Safety Tech Innovation Network, co-funded by
Nominet, to launch later in 2020. This will be the
world’s first forum for safety tech providers to
collaborate and promote their work
-
A virtual safety tech expo to showcase safety tech
to the world
-
A safety tech export pilot, run by the Department
for International Trade, to include a directory of
UK safety tech organisations and exploratory
international missions - which can be virtual if
necessary
ENDS
Further quotes
Andy Burrows, head of child safety online policy, at
NSPCC, 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,
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,
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.
, CEO of
PUBLIC, 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 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 ‘Safer
technology, safer users’ report is an
independent research report produced for DCMS
by Perspective
Economics, a Belfast-based economic advisory
company. Independent academic advisory input was
provided by Professor Julia Davidson and Professor
Mary Aiken (University of East London). The report
meets the commitment set out in the Online Harms
White Paper to assess the capability and potential of
the UK online safety sector.
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:
-
explore ways in best practices in online safety can
be included in standards and guidance for buying,
building and reusing government technology, such as
the Technology Code of Practice
-
develop a Safety Tech Sector Strategy, to guide
future priorities for sector support
A podcast interview with the report authors will be
released by SafeToNet Foundation on Wednesday 27 May,
and will be available at the following
URL: http://safetonetfoundation.libsyn.com/.