Chirp

Huge congratulations to Chirp Founder & CEO Rena Maycock who has just won the accolade for “Women In Tech - Most Disruptive Technology Award” for all of Europe at a prestigious prize-giving awards ceremony held in Brussels last night (1st Oct) Now in its 3rd year, The Women In Tech Europe Awards are held annually to celebrate and honor the trailblazers, visionaries, and leaders who have made significant contributions to the tech sector in Europe, with the winners going on to represent Europe in the prestigious Women in Tech Global Awards. Congratulations Rena. #Chirp #Chirpfamily #Protectingchildrenonline #Womenintech Chirpfamily.com

UK’s internet watchdog toughens approach on sites not doing enough to protect women and girls. Ofcom, The U.K.’s internet safety regulator, has just published new draft guidelines under the Online Safety Act aimed at protecting women and girls from online threats. The proposed guidance addresses issues such as online misogyny, harassment, and intimate image abuse. With enforcement set to begin in 2027, the guidelines urge companies to prioritise safety by design, ensuring safer online experiences for female users. Tech platforms who are not doing enough to protect women and girls online will have their inaction highlighted so the public can make a choice about whether or not to use them, Ofcom has said. The guideline handles problems that extend from harassment to misogyny and intimate image abuse. Approved by the U.K. parliament in September 2023, the Online Safety Act  imposes strict obligations on firms to tackle illegal content. Non-compliance could lead to penalties of up to 10% of a company’s global annual turnover. For more details on the new draft guidelines, click on the link below: #Chirp #Chirpfamily #Protectingchildrenonline #Protectinggirlsonline https://lnkd.in/djbwhZvE

Ireland House in Stockholm was filled with excitement as we gathered to celebrate the innovative spirit of Irish companies. We were inspired by cutting-edge solutions in cybersecurity, online safety, AI-powered customer support, and impact-driven software development. Special thanks to our engaging panellists: Rena Maycock, Elaine Giblin, Ciaran McNamee, Abhinava Pratap Singh. It was a pleasure to co-moderate the panel discussion with Jenny Berthling from Stockholm Business Region. This evening showcased the power of innovation and the incredible potential of collaborative efforts between Ireland and the Nordics. As Steve Jobs once said, "Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity - not a threat". This perfectly sums up the event, where we viewed rapid changes as opportunities for growth and progress. In today's fast-paced world, entrepreneurs and their innovative solutions are more crucial than ever. Working together is key to seizing these opportunities and driving real progress. MAYA Data Privacy Limited | Binarii Labs | Protostars | Sonalake | ServisBOT | Chirp | Coroflo

And what a lovely and cosy (mysigt!) evening with Irish 🇮🇪 startups 🚀 and Enterprise Ireland at the Embassy of Ireland Sweden. 🤖 Exciting panel of projects in, well, tech and especially cybersecurity - thank you Elaine Giblin Ciaran McNamee and Rena Maycock you are my absolute hero, where can I cast my vote for your innovation aimed for kids safety in this very confused and abused world! Thanks for great conversations Linus Wretblad , Christine Huang , Elnaz Tadayon , Kershini Henriksson , and my new ‘partner in crime’ Katherine Hickson !! 🇮🇪 Ireland is always a highlight on its own!

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲, 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆—𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗜—𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆. With so many stories of startups scaling from $0 to $15M ARR in just two months with a handful of employees, LinkedIn is full of these so-called "overnight successes." But after 17 years working with startups, I can tell you—the reality is far from the fairy tale. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀? 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮. AI Awards winner and Chirp CEO Rena Maycock knows this firsthand. I first met Rena seven years ago when her idea was just taking shape. The startup journey is anything but glamorous. However, once you secure proprietary data, that’s when a real competitive moat begins to form. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵? 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀. If you haven’t checked out the episode yet, now’s the time. 🎧 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since 2018, I have been working with applied AI use cases—no hype, just real impact. Follow my journey to see how AI is transforming industries and how you can stay ahead. Let’s make AI accessible to everyone. 👇 #AILiteracy #AppliedAI"

New survey reveals that 70% of Irish adults spend too much time on their phone. Findings from a survey just published by the professional services firm Deloitte has found that 70% of Irish adults say that they are spending too much time on their phones and that 15% of Irish adults check their phones at least a hundred times a day. The Deloitte Digital Consumer Trends Survey is one of the largest of its kind (interviewing 1,000 people) in Ireland and is carried out annually to measure consumer preferences and habits around digital products and services. Some of the key findings / highlights from the survey include the following: * Decline in wearables: Smartphone penetration is down 1% to 95% (2023: 96%) and there has been a significant decrease in wearables decreasing from 67% to 55%, practically reversing the significant increase seen in the prior year.   * Most popular smartphone brands: Samsung is the most popular brand at 42% (2023: 38%). Apple is at 38% (consistent with 2023), however it is still the most popular with the 18-34 year old group.   * Glued to our phones: 34% of respondents check their phone at least 50 times a day, with 15% checking it at least 100 times a day, marginally down on the prior year. The smartphone is well ingrained in our daily lives but potentially impacting our social interactions and sleep.   * A wish for shorter screen time: On the contrary to high daily use, most adults (70%) wish they spent less time on devices.   * The smartphone is our new wallet: 47% of respondents now use it to pay for goods and services in-store through digital wallets (up from 36% in 2023), hold tickets or boarding passes while travelling, and accessing online accounts through multi-factor authentication. * Television is still important: TV remains the most popular choice for news consumption in Ireland with 57% of adults preferring it for updates. 40% say they like to get their news from the radio, 39 per cent use news websites or apps, and 38 per cent use social media. For more details on the survey and its findings, click on the link below: #Chirp #Chirpfamily #Protectingchildrenonline #Digitalconsumers #Deloitte https://lnkd.in/eqexD6Wb

In today's brand new episode of the AI Ireland podcast recorded at The Guinness Enterprise Centre, host Mark Kelly is joined by Rena Maycock, CEO of Chirp - winners of the 2024 AI Award for Best Use of Responsible AI & Ethics. In the episode, Rena discusses building ethical AI for child safety, facing data-sharing challenges, detecting grooming patterns by analyzing conversation history, how Chirp's success grew as online safety laws evolved & much more 🎧Watch/Listen to the full episode now 👉https://lnkd.in/eU-WiJxg #aiireland #childrenssafety #cybersecurity #ethicalai #artificialintelligence #podcasts

I am thrilled to be speaking at the Women in STEM Summit & Awards on March 13th, at Croke Park, Dublin. Join me and some of the best-known names in the industry as we discuss how Chirp and other leading technology stakeholders are leveraging advancements in deep-tech and AI to make the world a better and healthier place. Book your ticket here - https://lnkd.in/esvUKvrr View the Women in STEM Summit agenda - https://lnkd.in/eaRziBDD #BPWomenInSTEM25

Women in technology spotlight Monday Motivation. Rena Maycock is an Irish entrepreneur and advocate dedicated to safeguarding children in the digital age. Her journey from media professional to tech innovator exemplifies her commitment to addressing pressing societal issues through technology. Maycock's career began in the media industry, where she honed her skills and developed a keen awareness of the challenges posed by unregulated digital spaces. This awareness led her to establish Cilter Technologies, a company focused on developing software solutions to protect children from online threats such as cyberbullying and grooming. Recognizing the disproportionate impact of these issues on young girls, Maycock's mission has been to create tools that empower parents and guardians to safeguard their children effectively. In 2022, her innovative work with Cilter Technologies earned her the Trailblazer Award at the Diversity in Tech Awards, sponsored by Permanent TSB. This accolade highlighted her pioneering efforts in child protection within the tech industry. Maycock's dedication to child safety has also been recognized by the Sunday Independent, which named her among the top 30 women in tech. This acknowledgment underscores her influence and leadership in leveraging technology for social good. Beyond her entrepreneurial ventures, Maycock actively participates in initiatives aimed at fostering innovation and supporting fellow entrepreneurs. She serves as a co-captain for the Entrepreneur Experience, an event that connects emerging entrepreneurs with seasoned business leaders, facilitating mentorship and knowledge exchange. Maycock's story is a testament to the impact of combining professional expertise with a passion for social change. Her work continues to inspire and drive advancements in creating safer digital environments for children worldwide.

Google, OpenAI, Roblox, and Discord Form Child Safety Group to Combat Online Child Exploitation in the AI Era Google, OpenAI, Roblox, and Discord have partnered to launch a nonprofit organisation to help improve the safety of children online – The Robust Open Online Safety Tools (ROOST). Announced at the recent AI Action Summit in Paris, ROOST will provide free, open-source AI tools to help companies detect, review, and report child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The initiative seeks to create a more accessible and transparent safety infrastructure in response to growing concerns over AI’s role in online harm. The launch of ROOST comes amid a broader regulatory push for stronger online child safety measures, as governments scrutinise how platforms handle harmful content. The Kids Online Safety Act, a proposed bill in the U.S. Senate, has bipartisan support but is stalled in Congress. In the absence of clear regulations, industry-led initiatives like ROOST are positioning themselves as proactive solutions. So far, ROOST has raised more than $27 million to fund its work for the first four years. The initiative is supported by philanthropic organisations such as McGovern Foundation, Future of Online Trust and Safety Fund, Knight Foundation, and AI Collaborative. Other partners include Microsoft, Mozilla, Bluesky, and others. In addition, ROOST will receive support from experts in the field of child protection, as well as in the areas of artificial intelligence, open-source technologies, and countering violent extremism. Additional information about ROOST can be found via the following website: https://roost.tools/ #Chirp #Chirpfamily #Protectingchildrenonline #AI