As young people’s access to online spaces increase, the question of how we can create safe spaces for them becomes increasingly important. In this context, Joanne and Shashank speak with Uthara Ganesh at Snap Inc. about the existing trust and safety measures designed for young people on the internet. They look at areas like threat detection mechanisms, safety by design, parental consent & encryption, data protection laws and the future of trust and safety measures in India.

Uthara Ganesh is currently the Head of Public Policy, India and South Asia at Snap Inc. For over 13 years, she has worked with government officials to develop policies that benefit South Asia’s digital ecosystem. Her areas of expertise include privacy and data protection, cloud computing, over-the-top (OTT) services, digital taxation, and online content regulation.

Resources: 
Correction at 0:55 - Snapchat Reaches Over 200 Million Monthly Active Users In India - https://newsroom.snap.com/india-mau-200million 

• More than 80% of Snapchat’s Indian users are between ages 13-24 - https://newsroom.snap.com/how-gen-z-is-shaping-the-new-india 
• Recommendation algorithms and the Rabbit Hole effect - https://hbr.org/2022/01/the-psychology-of-your-scrolling-addiction 
• Snapchat’s safety technologies including protecting against stranger interactions, automated filters for content moderation - https://values.snap.com/news/new-features-to-help-protect-our-community 
• Snapchat’s ephemerality feature - https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-gb/articles/7012334940948-When-does-Snapchat-delete-Snaps-and-Chats
• Snapchat’s family centre feature - https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-gb/articles/7121384944788-What-is-Family-Centre
• Kids Online Safety Act in the United States - https://apnews.com/article/congress-social-media-kosa-kids-online-safety-act-parents-ead646422cf84cef0d0573c3c841eb6d
• https://blog.ipleaders.in/pocso-act-everything-you-need-to-know/
• Age Appropriate Design Code in the United Kingdom - https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/childrens-information/childrens-code-guidance-and-resources/age-appropriate-design-a-code-of-practice-for-online-services/

The Pre-Legislative Consultation Policy (PLCP) of 2014

 in India - https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/the-need-for-a-proper-pre-legislative-consultation-policy/article37677558.ece

Hosts: Joanne D’Cunha, Shashank Mohan
Editor: Gopika P
Fact Checker: Joanne D’Cunha

This podcast is created by the ⁠Centre for Communication Governance⁠ at NLUD. Reach out for any queries / suggestions at ccgoutreach@nludelhi.ac.in 

(The opinions expressed in the episode are personal to the speaker. The University does not subscribe to the views expressed in the episode and does not take any responsibility for the same.)