Oxylabs AI-driven Solution Listed as Baltic Sustainability Awards Finalist

Gabija Birgile

2022-11-232 min read

Oxylabs has been selected as a finalist at the Baltic Sustainability Awards. Together with other finalists, the company’s representatives will take the stage to pitch the achievement in the Baltic Sustainability Forum & Awards Ceremony, which will take place on November 30 in Splendid Palace, Riga.

Oxylabs has been recognized in the “Impact” category and is a finalist in the “Social Initiatives” subcategory for its work in fighting illegal content (incl. child sexual abuse and pornography) online. After winning the Govtech Lab Challenge, Oxylabs came into a pro bono partnership with the Communications Regulatory Authority in Lithuania (CRA).

Oxylabs created a unique AI-powered web scraping tool that automatically scans the Lithuanian IP address space to find harmful images, mainly related to children sexual abuse and pornography. If found, the content is automatically forwarded to the hotline of CRA specialists for review.

We are grateful for recognizing our joint endeavors with CRA to make the internet a safer space. When creating this tool, there was a lot of excitement in the office, as it was not only a great challenge but also benefited the greater good, protecting the most vulnerable groups of our society. We believe such partnerships contribute to a world where justice and strong public institutions are the centerpieces of society.

Julius Černiauskas, CEO of Oxylabs

One of the CRA's missions is safeguarding the Lithuanian internet space from illegal content. Before, CRA couldn't be a proactive participant, as they depended on regular internet users' goodwill, who would voluntarily report illicit content to a special internet hotline. After fully employing the tool in their daily operations, CRA took the front seat in the process.

We are happy and honored that a joint Oxylabs and CRA initiative has gained such important recognition. It is a great example of a public-private partnership. As a governmental body, RRT is constantly on the lookout for innovative digital solutions that will allow us to be proactive and excel in serving Lithuanian society. The AI tool developed by Oxylabs perfectly serves this purpose. But that's not all. If it helps to protect at least one child, this will have a huge impact and difference for the future of a sustainable society.

Jūratė Šovienė, Chair of CRA Council

During the first two months of its use, the Oxylabs-created tool scanned around 288 000+ Lithuanian websites. After carefully investigating reported images, 19 websites were identified as violators of national or EU laws, and specific punitive measures were taken. The tool was previously recognized at the Global Good Awards in the “Technology for Good” category.

It was our first partnership with a governmental institution, but surely not last since we’ve already been in touch with other organizations for upcoming projects. Giving back to society is an integral part of our business, therefore at Oxylabs, we have a dedicated pro bono program, “Project 4β”, that was created to support academia, researchers and organizations and solve critical research questions and missions, and they are welcome to join by filling out the contact form.

Julius Černiauskas, CEO of Oxylabs

Held for the second time, Baltic Sustainability Awards selected 29 finalists from more than 240 applications. The winners of the “Impact” and “Innovation” categories will be selected by an international jury composed of leading industry experts after the finalist pitches. In contrast, a public vote will determine each Baltic country's individual winners in the Changemaker category.

About the author

Gabija Birgile

Senior PR Manager

Gabija Birgile is a Senior PR Manager at Oxylabs. After working in a PR agency and juggling various projects for quite some time, she wanted to try a role in the tech industry. Making a positive impact with her work was always on top of her mind, so managing "Project 4β" pro bono partnerships now definitely does the job. If you have a project in mind, drop her a message at 4beta@oxylabs.io.

Learn more about Gabija Birgile

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