ENCASE successfully implemented and is currently piloting the tangible results of the project (browser add-on, Intelligent Web-Proxy, and back-end) and is already exploiting parts of the implemented results via one start-up. The ENCASE system combines the key capabilities of state-of-the-art parental control tools, and moves beyond the state of the art by respecting the privacy of adolescents since it acts as a cybersafety family advice tool instead of a parental control tool which monitors and reports the actions of adolescents to their custodians. Notably, ENCASE maintains a back-end that is constantly updating its ML algorithms via new data and feedback from users to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of threat detection. The research performed to detect suspicious activity was published in top tier venues and focuses on solutions that: a) respect human and societal aspects of security and privacy in the social web; b) can be realized in a practical setting; and c) can be commercially exploited.
ENCASE provided groundbreaking research which shed light on the existing threats in OSNs which resulted to regulators and policy makers publishing numerous reports mentioning and referring to the project’s results and research. In addition, ENCASE aims to change the way parental control companies make tools for the detection of suspicious activity in OSNs by proposing the use of advanced ML techniques. Moreover, the project established close collaboration and communication with other EU-funded projects in related calls in order to share knowledge and educate adolescents and their adult supervisors of the threats of using OSNs. To further spread awareness the project communicates its results and tries to involve numerous safe Internet initiatives like “Safe Internet”, “Better Internet for Kids”, “EU Kids Online”, etc. Finally, CUT participates in the Cypriot Cybersafety Strategy Task Force for Internet Safety and Security concerning children, teachers, and parents. The task force is formed by the Cypriot Office of Electronic Communications & Postal Regulations and the Ministry of Education.
Pilot activities in Schools: CUT leveraged its close collaboration with the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute and is currently piloting the Family Advice Suite in public and private schools. The pilots involve two public elementary schools, one private elementary, and one private high school. Each school is set to contribute 10-30 students in the role of minors, along with teachers and parents in the role of guardians. The feedback that is collected from the students, educators, and parents is sent to the Technical Management team of the Family Advice Suite in an effort to further improve the usability and accessibility of the tools.
Exploitation and Business Plan: CUT currently exploits the developed architecture and applications to pursue further research and create a spin-off in parental advice tools. UCL leverage ENCASE’s results related to the detection of fake activity with the creation of a start-up company named Astroscreen. AUTH and ROMA3 investigate ways to pursue further research and innovation on techniques for the detection and prediction of malicious online activity and on steganography and watermarking techniques. TID, LST, CYR and SGX are creating use cases to introduce the project’s innovation outcomes into new or enhanced products for their customer base.
