CETaS Webinar: Privacy-preserving Moderation of Illegal Online Content

Learn how we can make the internet safer without compromising privacy in this webinar organised by the Alan Turing Institute’s Centre for Emerging Technology and Security (CETaS) on moderating illegal online content in end-to-end encrypted environments. Drawing on new CETaS research, expert insights, and a review of state-of-the-art techniques, the session explores practical, privacy-preserving tools from advanced moderation methods to cryptographic approaches like zero-knowledge proofs, and strategies for stronger cross-sector collaboration. Featuring Sam Stockwell (CETaS), Dan Sexton (Internet Watch Foundation), and Dr Tooska Dargahi (Manchester Metropolitan University), the session covers the study’s context, methods, key findings, and recommendations to help platforms meet UK Online Safety Act obligations while upholding user rights. This is the second session from the CETaS 2025 webinar series also exploring research covering public attitudes to national security data processing and the role of AI in serious online crime.