About Us
Who We Are
Internet Safety Labs is the world’s first independent product safety testing lab for software, unrelentingly on the side of consumers and their safety.
Why We Exist
Virtually every new product introduction sees the emergence of safety standards soon following market adoption. (Think: telephones, automobiles, radio, TV.)
But this never happened for software. Weird. Just because there’s “soft” in the name, doesn’t mean it’s safe.
There’s lots of buzz around “data privacy” and “cybersecurity”, but we think it’s far simpler:
Good old, basic product safety.
Because all products should be safe for people.
Statement of Independence
ISL is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) product safety testing and research organization. We are committed to the independence and autonomy of all our work. We do not accept funding that would impact our ability to remain impartial and objective or compromise our ethical foundation.
Internet Safety Labs Values
Dignity & Respect – Above all, this organization recognizes the inherent preciousness and dignity of every human being, and of the planet, and endeavors to always treat one another and the planet with the utmost respect.
Integrity – This organization is painstakingly oriented around an ethical framework of treating people right. Our testing will always be about the behavior of the product, and not about any feelings about the companies or people behind the product. Our culture, business model and governance structure will together ensure the integrity of our organization and of our Certification testing.
Diversity & Openness– We recognize that diversity not only allows us to better understand the needs of more people, it necessarily produces better products and outcomes. Diversity is crucial to our success. All are welcome here. We are open to all ideas and points of view even and especially when they are different from our own.
Generosity & Service – We are generous with the resources of the organization, in order to benefit the world. We are working at the service of humanity, endeavoring to be a part of a more humane future.
Results – This organization is about effecting a real change in the technology marketplace; we are measurement driven and all our efforts orient around tangible, product safety improvements to keep people safer online.
Privacy – We deeply value the privacy of all people and particularly members of our community—staff, board, contractors, members, etc. We practice data collection minimization and go to great lengths to ensure our IT choices reflect our values. See also privacy policy.
Courage – We respectfully question the status quo and face the awkward or difficult with courage.
Our Partners
Our work would not be possible without our foundation partners and individual donors.
Current partners listed below.
Wrethinking, the Foundation
Wrethinking, the Foundation supports the Southern California community, promoting technology innovations that solve human problems.
Internet Society Foundation
The Internet Society Foundation champions ideas and enables communities to unlock the Internet’s potential to tackle the world’s evolving challenges.
What We Do
Define Software Harms
We work to develop and gain consensus around a common software harms taxonomy.
Develop Software Product Safety Standards
We’ve developed a rigorous baseline for testing the safety of websites and mobile apps.
Perform Product Safety Research and Create Industry Benchmarks
Perform Product Safety Audits
For websites and mobile apps.
The Team
Team
Lisa LeVasseur
Executive Director
Why ISL? “Because the world needs a way to measure the ethical behavior of technology, to ensure the well-being of people, societies and the planet.”
Irene Knapp
Technology Director
Why ISL? “Technology should be used for the betterment of humanity. For that to be a reality, industry and government alike need to be held accountable for the harms of the tools they build and deploy. Independent oversight is part of building a future people can live in”.
Saish Mandavkar
Quantitative Analyst/Researcher
Why ISL? “Because our interactions with technology are now as important as our interactions with one another, and it is critical to ensure these interactions are ethical, respect our privacy, and are beneficial to both humanity and the environment.”
Bryce Simpson
Safety Researcher/Auditor
Why ISL? “Everyone deserves to know the safety risks of all products they use. ISL helps explain and show the safety risks in technology – an area of products which up to now has been overlooked. By educating the world on safety risks associated with specific technologies, people can make genuinely educated decisions.”
Nile Sprague
Website Developer
Why ISL? “Technology has the potential to do both great good and great harm, and we often don’t know or understand what is happening behind the scenes or how it may impact us. I am proud to be part of a team contributing to the transparency of how software functions, that will in turn lead to improving safety.”
George Vo
Software Developer
Why ISL? “People understand that safety and transparency is a common sense necessity for physical products, but this same standard isn’t yet applied to software. I’m proud to be part of a team working to provide these same protections for consumers of software products.”
Board of Directors
Lisa LeVasseur
Why ISL? “Because the world needs a way to measure the ethical behavior of technology, to ensure the well-being of people, societies and the planet.”
Cam Geer
Why ISL? “It’s imperative for the future of our society that the balance of power shifts to a more fair relationship between people and their technology. Internet Safety Labs is raising awareness and providing tools to empower people with agency over their digital lives.”
Eve Maler
Why ISL? “UMAnitarians like to say that privacy isn’t secrecy; privacy isn’t encryption; privacy is context, control, choice, and respect. ISL focuses on respectful technology and breaks down the solution into meaningful steps.”
Whitney Merrill
Why ISL? “We get to shape the future. And we must ensure that our future has technology that is safe, respects privacy, and protects the sensitive information we share with it. Internet Safety Labs is taking major strides to secure that future.”
Advisors
Allison Mankin
Dr. Nishal Mohan
Why ISL? “As a digital rebel, I work with marginalized communities globally to codevelop and democratize public benefit technologies such as the internet and digital services. ISL understands how technology affects everyone’s privacy, security, and digital rights and I am delighted to support these efforts particularly for the benefit of those new to the digital world.”
Zach Edwards
Why ISL? “ISL is leading the challenging effort to audit technology that kids are using and raising awareness about the importance of privacy standards in those products. There’s no other organization who is doing the work, showing their process, and working holistically with vendors, privacy advocates, parents, teachers, administrators, elected officials and reporters to improve the current privacy landscape in education.”
Sheryl Wilkerson
Why ISL? “I’m excited to serve together with some of the most committed experts and thought leaders, to develop standards for respectful technology that will create a fair and balanced future.”
Deborah Schultz
Why ISL? “Society can only truly thrive when technology is safe for everyone. We need a common language, understanding, and roadmap of how to get there together. I am excited that ISL is leading the way in defining the science of safer software.”
Paul Reeves
Why ISL? “We have safety standards for many important areas of our lives like food, and transportation, but not for software. Yet we use software every day assuming it is safe. I’m proud to support ISL as they help companies and industries define standards that make us all safer while we continue to innovate and grow as individuals and as a global society.”
Liad Wagman
Why ISL? “Solutions that align incentives for ethical behavior can benefit society by enabling stakeholders to make more informed decisions, reducing uncertainty and fostering trust.”