I am honored to welcome you to 2024 and M3AAWG’s 20th anniversary celebration! For the next year, we are going to explore both the historical journey that has shaped our organization and the path we are currently pursuing towards future goals.
In this 20th anniversary year, it could not be more fitting that we recently recast our vision and mission statements, revised our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Charter, and launched one of the most important committees in our history, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Committee.
M3AAWG’s members already understand the disruptive forces AI will introduce to our industry. The AI Committee’s primary focus is to address issues related to abuse, including how to handle instances of abuse enabled by AI systems and utilizing AI to combat abuse.
Our goal is to establish M3AAWG as a trusted authority in online anti-abuse best practices around AI. Our strategy involves building partnerships with global companies and organizations that prioritize AI safety. M3AAWG is actively seeking major AI players to join our organization.
By positioning ourselves at the intersection of AI and online abuse, we are poised to have a significant impact in our industry. As we imagine our future in M3AAWG at this critical juncture, a new vision statement comes to life: A world free of online abuse.
To achieve our vision, we have redefined our mission: To be the leading global trusted forum bringing industry together to innovate, collaborate, and maximize our impact in prevention of online abuse, through our targeted priorities, focus areas, and world-class best practices.
Despite the difficulty of these tasks and the potential challenges from AI, I am confident in our abilities to achieve this mission as we leverage the diversity, expertise, and experience of our members in this endeavor.
We have established a foundation for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging through our work with Dr. Brenda J. Allen (Ph.D. Howard University).We know that organizations that recognize the value of diversity and embrace differences are more successful in accomplishing their goals.
In our DEIB charter, we have established new objectives that emphasize our dedication to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals feel appreciated, encouraged, and empowered to share their distinct perspectives and innovative thoughts.
M3AAWG recognizes diversity strengthens our collective knowledge and understanding of the challenges we face. Fostering a culture of respect, collaboration, and openness, we believe we can create a more effective and impactful community in our shared mission to combat online abuse.
We asked the pioneers in our organization to reflect on how M3AAWG has impacted the online anti-abuse community through the years. We will hear from many of those pioneers in this blog space over the coming months but one story shared by Dennis Dayman, Co-Chair of the M3AAWG Program and Public Policy Committees, makes my point that we are ready to meet the challenges of the future.
Dennis described the events that followed the tragic mass shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019. One of our partner government agencies had a member posted in New Zealand, Dana-Lynn Wood, who is now a M3AAWG Expert Advisor. Wood asked for assistance in removing content that was being illegally live streamed by the shooter and republished on social media and other hosting platforms.
“I received a call in the middle of the night asking how we could use M3AAWG platforms to notify and work with members to remove and block the content from members’ platforms. We quickly sprang into action, sending out alerts and notifications to those in charge of compliance issues at member companies,” said Dennis.
“Since that time, we have worked tirelessly to publish guidance to help organizations deal with objectionable content on their networks,” Dennis added. A best practice came out of all that hard work, and it continues to serve many: M3AAWG’s Objectionable Content Takedown Template.
Our trusted network of members, with a diverse set of experiences and expertise, moved out quickly to communicate tasks that needed to be accomplished. Their work made a significant impact on our community and the world.
This is why I am confident we are ready to lead at the intersection of AI and online abuse. We have built a trusted network over the last two decades that allows our members to exchange information that consistently makes a significant impact in the fight against online abuse. Our members are prepared to develop best practices and techniques to overcome the many challenges brought on by this evolving technology.
Have no doubt, with the development of the AI Committee, we will not lose focus of M3AAWG’s overall anti-abuse efforts.
I am inspired each day by your contributions to M3AAWG and I’m honored to serve you. Congratulations on 20 years of exceptional achievements in the fight against online abuse.