What are examples of rapidly evolving digital risks?
- Unwanted access to personal devices
User applications and/or malware can collect personal information without users' consent, or even destroy their devices.
- Massive data collection and theft
Corporations collect and share massive amounts of users’ personal information. They are failing to properly protect that information from data brokers or cyber criminals.
- Dark patterns/End User License Agreements (EULAs)
Applications sometimes use dark patterns to guide consumers to make choices that are not in their best interests.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) biases as scaled discrimination
AI can learn and amplify societies’ biases (e.g., racial and gender biases), unintentionally using them to discriminate against underrepresented groups.
How is DSRI starting to tackle these digital risks?
- February 2022
UL Research Institutes established DSRI, partnering with the Center for Advancing Safety of Machine Intelligence (CASMI) at Northwestern University to research artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML).
- August 2022
Dr. Jill Crisman was named DSRI's inaugural executive director. Using her background in academia, industry, and government, she plans to expand the scope of DSRI to tackle the full spectrum of digital threats to consumers and societies.
- Today
DSRI is hiring technical staff to build solutions that help create the safer ecosystem with partnering organizations. We plan to partner with industry, academia, consumer advocates, cyber insurers, and the government to help grow a safer digital ecosystem for consumers.
