The Oasis Consortium, an organization of thought leaders across social media, gaming, and dating created to accelerate the development of an ethical Internet, formally launched today. Oasis aims to redefine trust in the Internet through a Digital Sustainability Model that focuses on three key pillars: safety, privacy, and inclusion. Oasis works with companies to prioritize trust as they build on and operate in the next version of the Internet by placing digital sustainability at the core of business strategy. Leaders from Agora, dentsu, Fandom, Kuaishou Technologies, The Meet Group, Pandora, Riot Games, Roblox, Wildlife Studios, and others have joined the movement to popularize and drive adoption of shared standards for online safety and ethical branding.
It took decades of petitioning for civil society, governments and businesses to address the global emergency of climate change. Due to the delay, we have much to repair and little time. We stand a chance here and now to prevent a similar fate for the digital world. As we migrate to the metaverse, digital sustainability efforts are more important than ever.
“There is a cyber-attack every 39 seconds. More than 40% of U.S. Internet users have reported online harassment. AI recognizes white-skinned men 34% better than dark-skinned women. The Web2.0 era has led to a loss of trust: our data is breached, our safety is threatened, and technology discriminates against human beings,” said Tiffany Xingyu Wang, President & Co-founder of Oasis Consortium. “To rebuild trust in Web3.0, our digital sustainability framework is founded on the three pillars in line with the underlying movements that shape the next web: Privacy by Design in the rise of the Internet of Things; Safety by Design in the forthcoming metaverse; and Inclusion by Design in the AI-powered semantic web. Brands and platforms that succeed in digital sustainability are shaping a competitive advantage for generations to come.”
Oasis Consortium’s first objective is to launch User Safety Standards by Q4 2021. Guided by the foundational O.A.S.I.S. principles — Openness, Accountability, Security, Innovation, and Sustainability — these User Safety Standards will help organizations avoid ethical pitfalls and chart a sustainable course as their businesses become more deeply involved with the web.
Supporting Testimonials:
“Agora is a pioneer and leader in real-time engagement. Safety is a key function to empowering people to engage more seamlessly,” said Reggie Yativ, Chief Revenue Officer & COO at Agora. “However, online safety needs to be standardized. We’re joining the Oasis initiative to promote a framework that can be successfully applied across a broad digital ecosystem.”
“Companies are increasingly focused on being a force for growth and also a force for good. However, in order to harness digital wellbeing, we need to improve the ecosystem we all work in,” said Angela Johnson, Client Development Officer at dentsu. “That means taking a sustainable and ethical view of their media and communications use. I am passionate about finding connections in the industry and working with Oasis to benefit the brands who care about this topic.”
“As the online climate grows even more charged and toxicity across gaming and entertainment communities is more prevalent than ever, the work Oasis will be doing is more important than ever,” said Brandon Rhea, VP of Community at Fandom. “Trust & Safety is something I’m personally passionate about, and I look forward to finding solutions for these industry-wide issues.”
“Oasis provides a great platform for dialogue between culture and industry, and between the private and public sectors,” said Emma Buttin, TV, New Media & VR Officer at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the US. “This dialogue is a crucial element for tackling the social challenges that our global society faces today, and particularly diversity in the gaming industry.”
“Online abuse is more complex and sophisticated than ever,” said Arjun Narayan, Head of Trust & Safety at Kuaishou Technology. “There is an urgent need to develop an industry framework for handling harmful content and conduct online. I’m excited to be a part of the critical work Oasis is doing to align and bring together stakeholders to move the online safety agenda forward.”
“Brand and member safety is critical to the dating industry,” said Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group. “Safety issues, especially in an industry like online dating, will always exist but we need actionable standards on how to deal with them. Through actionable initiatives and partnerships, Oasis will help set industry standards with industry executives to accelerate the adoption of universal safety norms that can improve the health of online communities.”
“As the importance of online safety compounds in the digital era, it’s no longer simply the domain of PR but must be the concern of everyone who works in marketing, media and advertising,” said Roger Gehrmann, Executive Creative Director at Pandora/SiriusXM. “Figuring out how to do this in the newly evolving space of voice and audio technology is key to making the media and technology safe and successful for brands, content creators and listeners alike. I am truly excited for the opportunity Oasis offers to shape the space to be safer and more inclusive for the future.”
“Players will only choose to play and invest in communities where they feel safe and welcome,” said Paul Snyder, Product Management Lead, Central Player Dynamics at Riot Games. “Because gaming should be welcoming and fun, it’s imperative gaming companies keep player safety at the center of business strategy. I am excited to be working with Oasis to bring meaningful guidance and support around online safety standards to the industry so we can raise the bar for everyone.”
“Safety is a multifaceted challenge that cannot be addressed alone,” said Joel Silk, Senior Director of Moderation at Roblox. “The collective nature of voices working to popularize a universal truth for safety is imperative, as Internet safety is only as strong as its weakest link.”
“Our Trust & Safety program is critical to our growth at Wildlife. I had to learn on the go because there are no universal standards,” said Aoife McGuinness, Trust and Safety Lead at Wildlife Studios. “The work Oasis is doing to create awareness and build a shared baseline for building digital trust, will be especially beneficial in helping companies run effective and efficient Trust & Safety solutions.”
If you’d like to join the Oasis Consortium and become an agent of change, please visit our website here.
About Oasis
Oasis Consortium brings together the builders, creators and funders of the Internet to build trust as we step into a Web3.0 world. Our global network of thought leaders and practitioners come from social networks, online gaming, dating sites and more representing every facet of the Internet – technologists, platforms, and advertisers – to create a new digital sustainability model for businesses to adopt. We are the organization behind Digital Sustainability Seals, a signifier of businesses that operate ethically in the digital world. Oasis Consortium also powers the Brand Safety Exchange podcast, which is a destination for digital user safety thought leaders. Oasis Consortium is a 501(c)(6). For more, go to www.OASISConsortium.com or visit us at LinkedIn or Twitter.
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