CEO MONTHLY / GLOBAL CEO EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2023 12 Jun23618 Most Innovative Social Media Anti-Abuse Application CEO 2023 (Australia): Shane Britten Australia-based company, SocialProtect has a vision to create a better online experience for everyone. The software company has created an app that ensures online conversations are respectful and abuse-free. Headed up by Australian intelligence officer, and counter-terrorism and homeland security expert, Shane Britten, the company’s goal is above all to keep people safe. We chat with Shane to find out more about SocialProtect and the company’s ambitions for the future. Online abuse via social media has become a pervasive cause for concern in today’s digital age. The anonymity afforded by the internet appears to embolden individuals to engage in harmful behaviours, such as cyberbullying, harassment, and hate speech. Beyond the obvious immediate emotional toll on those targeted, online abuse can lead to damaged reputations and long-term mental health issues. With efforts to identify and hold perpetrators accountable often lacking, the need for a more comprehensive solution has never been greater. One company that’s working tirelessly to ensure that its clients are kept safe and out of harm’s way is SocialProtect. Founded in 2021, the company brings together a group of dedicated individuals whose mission is to develop technology and training to facilitate safer online spaces for all. Shane tells us, “SocialProtect offers technical solutions to individuals, businesses, sports teams, and government agencies to automatically, and in realtime, protect their social media posts from racist, sexual, offensive, spam, or scam comments. We do this to enable those people to reach their clients, fans, followers, and the public via social media without fear of abuse or attack. We provide our clients with the tools they need to moderate different platforms without relying on the inconsistent or non-existent moderation tools provided as standard.” Prior to founding SocialProtect, Shane spent almost 12 years working for the Australian government and a further five years working with multinational software firms and security consultancies. In January 2021, Shane founded his first company, AlphaSix Consulting. He explains, “Whilst providing consulting and education services to Australian sports teams, it became clear that our athletes were receiving large amounts of abuse online. Understanding that something needed to change, and drawing on my industry experience, I created SocialProtect.”
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