The Checkstep blog

Map your GenAI risks and craft “AI-resilient” policies [Part 1] GenAI presents significant challenge for platforms and the Trust & Safety field. As we head into 2025, AI-generated content and detection advancements are poised to take center stage. This post is part of a two-part blog series, co-authored with our partner Sightengine, exploring innovative strategies and…

As we’re working on 2025’s OKR, we’re reflecting at Checkstep an an incredible year, shipping new product features faster than ever and positive feedback from our early adopters, giving us the feeling that our platform now ready to scale and will prepare our users to benefit from the next big wave of AI agents. We…

The fast-growing ecommerce startup Bloop has partnered with Checkstep to safeguard the user-generated content (UGC) on its new social shopping platform, ensuring Trust and Safety for users. About Bloop Bloop is reshaping the social shopping landscape by rewarding real consumer influence. Bloop combines the best elements of social networking and marketplace platforms. The team aims…

Emerging trends can severely threaten user retention We've recently seen how hate speech and misinformation can put user retention at risk during the recent UK far-right riots. Recent events like the UK far-right riots have highlighted how unchecked hate speech and misinformation can severely threaten user retention. When harmful content spreads without effective moderation, it…

The far-right riots in the UK The recent UK far-right riots, undeniably fuelled by misinformation spread on social media platforms serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for online platforms to adapt their content moderation policies and work closely with regulators to prevent such tragedies. The consequences of inaction and noncompliance are serious,…

Trust and Safety leaders during the US elections: are you tired of election coverage and frenzied political discussion yet? It’s only 20 days until the US votes to elect either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump into the White House and being a Trust and Safety professional has never been harder. Whether your site has anything…

Hi, I'm Justin, Sales Director at Checkstep. In September, I had the opportunity to attend the Global Dating Insights Conference 2024, where leaders in the dating industry gathered to discuss emerging trends, challenges, and the evolving landscape of online dating. This year's conference focused on how dating platforms are adapting to new user behaviors, regulatory…

🚀 We launched our first Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) with automated reporting to the EU Transparency Database. We’ve now enabled these features for all Checkstep customers for seamless transparency reporting to the EU. This feature is part of Checkstep’s mission to make transparency and regulatory compliance easy for any Trust and Safety team. What…

We’ve been busy updating and adding new features to our Trust & Safety platform. Check out some of the latest release announcements from Checkstep! Improved Abilities to Live Update your Trust & Safety workflows Trust and Safety operations are always evolving and new forms of violating content pop up in new ways. It’s critical that…

Introduction In today’s digital landscape, trust, and safety are paramount concerns for online businesses, particularly those dealing with user-generated content. Trust and Safety regulations are designed to safeguard users, ensure transparency, and foster a secure online environment. These regulations are crucial for maintaining user confidence and protecting against online threats. In addition, as global concerns…

Introduction While the EU already has some rules to protect children online, such as those found in the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, the Digital Services Act (DSA) introduces specific obligations for platforms. As platforms adapt to meet the provisions outlined in the DSA Minor Protection, it's important for businesses to take proactive measures to comply…

The Digital Services Act (DSA) is a comprehensive set of laws that aims to regulate digital services and platforms to ensure transparency, accountability, and user protection. In other words, it’s the European Union’s way of regulating and harmonizing separate laws under one universal piece of legislation to prevent illegal and harmful activities online and the…

What is the Digital Services Act (DSA)? The Digital Services Act, otherwise known as the DSA, is the first attempt by theEuropean Union to govern platforms at the regulatory level. Up until this point, all 27 EUmember states have each had their own laws that may or may not apply to onlineplatforms. The DSA is…

Interactions have moved online, and people now have the ability to interact as users, share content, write comments, and voice their opinions online. This revolution in the way people interact has led to the rise of many businesses that use live chat conversations and text content as one of their main components. Let's take, for…

Content moderation is one of the major aspect of managing online platforms and communities. It englobes the review, filtering, and approval or removal of user-generated content to maintain a safe and engaging environment. In this article, we'll provide you with a comprehensive glossary to understand the key concepts, as well as its definition, challenges and…

The podcasting industry has experienced an explosive growth in recent years, with millions of episodes being published across various platforms every day. As the volume of audio content surges, ensuring a safe and trustworthy podcast environment becomes a paramount concern. Podcast moderation plays a crucial role in filtering and managing podcast episodes to prevent the…

Preslav Nakov has established himself as one of the leading experts on the use of AI against propaganda and disinformation. He has been very influential in the field of natural language processing and text mining, publishing hundreds of peer reviewed research papers. He spoke to us about his work dealing with the ongoing problem of…

This month we’ve added a new “Expert’s Corner” feature starting with an interview with our own Kyle Dent, who recently joined Checkstep. He answers questions about AI ethics and some of the challenges of content moderation. AI Ethics FAQ with Kyle Dent If you would like to catch up on other thought leadership pieces by…

In the digital age, video content has become a driving force across online platforms, shaping the way we communicate, entertain, and share experiences. With this exponential growth, content moderation has become a critical aspect of maintaining a safe and inclusive online environment. The sheer volume of user-generated videos poses significant challenges for platforms, necessitating advanced…

The birth of the digital public sphere This article is contributed by Ahmed Medien. Online forums and social marketplaces have become a large part of the internet in the past 20 years since the early bulletin boards on the internet and AOL chat rooms. Today, users moved primarily to social platforms, platforms that host user-generated content. These…

 In 1993 The United Nations declared May 3 as World Press Freedom Day recognizing that a free press is critical to a healthy, functioning democracy. According to the UN, media freedom and individual access to information is key to empowering people with control over their own lives. It seems the global population mostly believes it…

In today's digitally-driven world, audio content has become an integral part of online platforms, ranging from podcasts and audiobooks to user-generated audio clips on social media. With the increasing volume of audio content being generated daily, audio moderation has become a critical aspect of maintaining a safe and positive user experience. Audio moderation involves systematically…

In today's interconnected world, text-based communication has become a fundamental part of our daily lives. However, with the exponential growth of user-generated text content on digital platforms, ensuring a safe and inclusive online environment has become a daunting task. Text moderation plays a critical role in filtering and managing user-generated content to prevent harmful or…

Content moderation has become an essential aspect of managing online platforms and ensuring a safe user experience. Behind the scenes, content moderators play a crucial role in reviewing user-generated content, filtering out harmful or inappropriate materials, and upholding community guidelines. However, the task of content moderation is not without its challenges, as it exposes moderators…