Call for Proposals: Expanding Online Trust & Safety Research

A new research initiative offers funding to researchers studying trust and safety in the majority world. Applications due January 30, 2024

The Stanford Internet Observatory, with support from the Omidyar Network, is pleased to announce the launch of a pilot grants program to support researchers studying issues of online trust and safety in the majority world. The pilot program will fund 6-10 proposals broadly studying issues associated with online safety outside of the North American or Western European context. Topics within trust and safety might include, but are not limited to, fraud, harassment, information interference, abusive content, encryption, internet connectivity, child safety and content moderation. This grant program aims to support research that explores these issues in the majority world. Projects may, for example, investigate online abuse affecting users in underrepresented languages, on non-mainstream devices or platforms, and in diverse political and social contexts. The research should highlight the impact of trust and safety issues on users worldwide.

Trust and safety research is rapidly expanding, drawing on insights from various academic disciplines to comprehend and address online risks. New research will continue to inform our understanding of best practices in the field and the impact of platform design and policy changes on users around the world.

We are open to applications to support either qualitative or quantitative research, or both. We encourage applications for projects that involve original data collection (such as interviews or surveys) or original data analysis (such as analysis of a specific safety issue in a particular country on a specific platform). We cannot support projects that are exclusively reviews of existing literature.

Researchers can apply for funding of up to $15,000. Awardees will have opportunities for mentorship and feedback in the form of workshops to build a grantee community along with individual check-ins. The grant program will culminate with a virtual symposium bringing together all the program participants to present their papers. Awardees are encouraged to submit their research papers to the Journal of Online Trust and Safety or other peer-reviewed publications.

Learn more about how to apply here.

Timeline and Application

Proposals can be submitted using this link. All attachments should be in .docx or .pdf format. The application due date is January 30, 2024. Awards will be announced by March 1, 2024.  For any application-related questions, please email internetobservatory@stanford.edu.