Safe, Secure, Private: Research finds third parties can audit online algorithms

The report was published today by the Christchurch Call and its CCIAO partners, OpenMined, Microsoft, LinkedIn and Dailymotion, demonstrating the viability of using PySyft (an open-source library) to safely enable algorithmic auditing by external researchers.  

“Algorithmic audits are essential for helping to address unwanted AI biases, stopping amplification of terrorist and violent extremist content on platforms, and keeping children safe online,” Patron of the Christchurch Call Dame Jacinda Ardern says. 

“It’s essential that audits are performed in a way that do not compromise people’s and businesses’ information. This report provides that assurance, and even the tools, for how to safely audit industry algorithms while ensuring private, personal and commercial information is kept safe.”  Dame Ardern says. 

This report delivers the first milestone of a multi-phase piece of work commissioned as part of the Christchurch Call Leaders’ Summit 2022. The aim of the CCIAO is to collaboratively develop new software tools that will help enable independent research on the impacts of user interactions with algorithmic systems.   

“I’d like to acknowledge the stakeholders who worked alongside the Call on the completion of this phase including OpenMined, Microsoft, LinkedIn and Dailymotion. Thanks also to the governments of France, New Zealand, and the US, and the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University, for support with this project.  I’d also like to acknowledge Twitter, now X, for its contribution to work on the CCIAO.” Chief Executive Officer Paul Ash says.  

The Christchurch Call was established following the devastating March 15 terror attacks in New Zealand in 2019 and is a growing multistakeholder community working together to eliminate TVEC. It has become a leading model for digital governance issues. 

Work will shortly get underway in preparation for Phase 2, which will focus on building on the findings from Phase 1 and finding ways to put them into practice. 

The full report is available to read and download here:

 Notes to Editors: 

1. Attributable quote from Andrew Trask, Executive Director of OpenMined: “Phase 1 of CCIAO has successfully demonstrated that privacy enhancing technologies can enable researchers to study major production algorithms whilst protecting privacy, security, and intellectual property. This sets a new precedent for conducting algorithmic auditing at scale. We are immensely proud of CCIAO’s achievements so far and are excited for our continued collaboration.” 
2. In the Phase 1 project, four independent researchers successfully performed audits of recommender systems at LinkedIn and Dailymotion, while protecting the security and privacy of personal and commercially sensitive information through the combined application of remote data access and differential privacy.  
3. These privacy guarantees, alongside the governance processes built into PySyft, ensured that both LinkedIn and Dailymotion had sufficient confidence in making real, privacy-protected, production data available to researchers.  
4. France and New Zealand co-founded the Christchurch Call on May 15, 2019, with online service providers and other governments. 
5. The Call has 25 commitments made by governments and online service providers to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.   
6. The Call Community comprises 56 governments, 19 online service providers, 12 partner organisations, and a Christchurch Call Advisory Network of more than 50 civil society organisations and individuals.