How to build safer digital products: An ACS and eSafety Commissioner initiative

ACS: To start, why the focus on safety and why now?                                             

Ellen O’Brien: I think we can agree the technology and digital services market is rapidly changing. Service providers are competing in a market where governments, regulators, media and customers expect greater safeguards and protections.

Companies are often under the spotlight for poor design choices that open the door for bad actors to exploit their product or services for illicit gain, whether that be explicit deepfakes, sophisticated sexual extortion scams, or child sexual abuse material.

In short, safety is both a compliance issue and competitive advantage.

eSafety has championed Safety by Design since 2018 as a proactive safety approach that companies of all sizes can apply. This webinar series will help anyone working in tech to apply the fundamental principles  across the design and product cycle and build safer systems and products from the outset for everyone.

ACS: Tell us more about Safety by Design. 

Ellen O’Brien: Safety by Design is a proactive framework that helps companies to anticipate, prevent and reduce online and digital harms throughout the product or service lifecycle. It’s not just about how a product or service is designed, it’s also about building a culture and leadership that values safety.

ACS: Who needs to understand how to apply Safety by Design?

Ellen O’Brien: Safety by Design should be understood and applied by everyone and anyone working in tech, whether you're at a startup or a global powerhouse. If you're designing, building, deploying or governing technology, you can help make your company’s systems, services and products safer. 

ACS: What are the biggest mistakes companies make when approaching online or digital safety?

Ellen O’Brien: One of the biggest mistakes companies make is taking a reactive approach, rather than a proactive one. When safety is overlooked in the planning and testing phases, fixing the root problem later tends to be more costly, less effective, and more disruptive for both customers and services.

ACS: What does best practice look like?

Ellen O’Brien: At its most fundamental, best practice is about putting user safety and rights at the centre of the design and development of online products and services.

ACS: Can you share a real-world example of Safety by Design in action?

Ellen O’Brien: One of the best examples of Safety by Design I’ve seen was Westpac’s response to sexual extortion.

After identifying a teenager who had been coerced into making payments after sharing intimate images online, Westpac investigated how its banking services could be exploited for sexual extortion. Rather than simply responding to individual incidents, the case informed broader changes to product governance. Safety by Design principles were embedded into development processes, ensuring new and existing features undergo rigorous risk assessments to protect vulnerable or at-risk customers.

Recognising this as an industry-wide challenge and harm, Westpac also shared key learnings with peer institutions. This collaborative approach strengthened collective harm prevention strategies and boosted the impact of individual interventions.

After assessing risk for sexual extortion using their safety by design framework, the bank disabled relevant internet banking and ATM features for children, significantly reducing risk.

ACS: How do we know if a product is causing harm?

Ellen O’Brien: At eSafety, we share three tips to identify product misuse. First, regularly monitor user feedback, complaints, incident reports and behavioural data. Second, engage directly with users and affected communities, including at-risk populations. And third, regularly review whether features are being used as intended or being misused in ways never anticipated.

ACS: What’s the one thing every tech company should encourage?

Ellen O’Brien: Curiosity because building safer products starts with asking smart, pointy questions. We need to be curious about the unintended impacts. Curious about possible consequences for at-risk groups. And curious about the malign but creative ways criminals may co-opt products and services.

ACS: And finally, tell us about the upcoming webinar series?

Ellen O’Brien: The webinar series is a great opportunity to help anyone who works in tech answer this question: ‘How do we design and build safer technology from the start?’ The first session will unpack what Safety by Design means in practice. The second will explore emerging risks from AI and other technologies. And the third and final session will present practical approaches that can be applied in the attendee’s own companies.

ACS: Thank you, Ellen

The How do we design and build safer technology from the start? webinar series starts on Wednesday 9 September.

Readers can register for the webinar series on the ACS events web page.