Digital Intelligence Safety Research Institute

Digital Safety Research Institute

The digital ecosystem is where a growing percentage of the world’s population gets information and conducts business. Most recently, advances in artificial intelligence are creating huge improvements in medicine, science, and creative works. These progresses are extremely beneficial although cybercrime and disinformation are increasing while causing individual and societal harms.

The Digital Safety Research Institute (DSRI) at UL Research Institutes aims to partner with other safety-minded organizations to help protect individuals from rapidly evolving digital threats.

In the Security Control Room Officer Monitors Multiple Screens for Suspicious Activities. He Guards Internationally Important Logistics Facility.

DSRI aims to help protect individuals from digital threats

Cybersecurity threats
Unwanted access to personal devices can lead to surveillance, lateral movement, and data theft.
Privacy threats
The collection and brokering of private information can lead to massive data breaches, identity theft and fraud, and harassment.
Algorithm threats
Algorithms that counter individuals' best interests can lead to discrimination, addiction, polarization, radicalization, phishing and malware.
Information threats
The freedom to post anything online can lead to inappropriate content, mis/disinformation, deception and scams, slander, and biometric loss.

Man typing at his laptop computer at night

Creating a new digital safety ecosystem

Advocate tools: Working with advocacy groups, we will create testing tools that enable advocates to dynamically test and compare apps in ways individuals can easily understand.
Individual tools: Working with consumer groups, we will create tools that enable individuals to better understand digital systems and protect themselves from digital threats.
Developer frameworks: Working with safety-minded developers, we will create safer-by-design app frameworks, platforms, and machine learning processes to enable developers to rapidly create safer devices and apps.
Basic research: Working with researchers, we will aggregate, mature, and integrate advanced digital discoveries into individual and advocate tools and safer-by-design developer frameworks.

Would you like to help create a better digital safety ecosystem? Do you have ideas for how to help fix it? Check out jobs at the Digital Safety Research Institute and other opportunities to join UL Research Institutes.

See Open Positions