The Internet Commission calls for top tech companies to boost trust with voluntary accountability framework

• Social Media heavyweights, Tamara Littleton and Dom Sparkes join as Special Advisors
• The Internet Commission boasts supporters from the private, public and charitable sectors

London, 17 September, 2019 - The spread of images of child abuse, hate speech, misinformation and incitement to self-harm can only be effectively tackled by tech companies opening themselves to independent evaluation, experts have claimed. 

The Internet Commission has developed a detailed evaluation framework to enable organisations to benchmark their systems and procedures for content removal, with input from world-leading researchers and experts from the private, public and charitable sectors.

Two leading names in the social media sector, Tamara Littleton, Founder and CEO, The Social Element and Dom Sparkes, founder and former CEO of ICUC Social, join as Special Advisors, to complete The Internet Commission’s line-up. They join world experts from the LSE, Imperial College London and the Centre for Internet Policy Leadership and bring additional heavyweight expertise to the process.

Tamara Littleton commented: “It’s time for the private sector to take a lead in tackling the complexities and problems of our online world. The Internet Commission is an excellent response; extending proven accountability processes to online content and developing an independent framework with strong industry engagement. I believe it’s the most progressive approach to making the internet a safer place.”

Dom Sparkes said: “To advance digital responsibility, organisations must show that their internal systems and procedures properly balance commercial, safety and freedom of expression requirements. The Internet Commission has developed a voluntary process that promises a vital boost to trust and confidence in the online world.”

Jonny Shipp, Internet Commission Founder, said: “Tamara and Dom bring enormous expertise and experience of existing and emerging responses to the complex challenges of digital ethics. Their contribution ensures that we have the capacity to give a fair and robust assessment of progress across a diverse mix of technology companies.”

About Tamara Littleton, Founder and CEO, The Social Element

Tamara founded The Social Element (formerly Emoderation) in 2002, before the explosion of social media, with the ambition of challenging the conventional agency model. Her pioneering approach has created a global business (now 300+ strong) predominantly through a highlyinclusive remote working model that is truly innovative. Today, the agency works with some of the world’s biggest brands to ensure their social media is creating genuine human connections
with consumers, while solving their business challenges. 

From the early days of online forum moderation to the ubiquity of Facebook and Twitter, Tamara has used her experience to help develop best practice standards in the industry and beyond. She is passionate about making the internet a safer place and was an original member of the UK Government Taskforce advising the British Government on safeguarding children online. In 2013, she co-founded Polpeo, which help brands withstand a crisis breaking online through the
use of simulation technology. Tamara is passionate about the power of people; a hands-on mentor for entrepreneurs; a special advisor to The Internet Commission; a founding committee member of SeriesQ, a network for LGBTQ people at startups in the UK and works closely with the Founders4Schools charity that aims to inspire and prepare children for the world of work. 

About Dom Sparkes, Founder of ICUC Social

Following a career in digital production at EMI Records and Granada Television, Dominic founded Tempero, one of the world’s first community management companies. Having grown the company to a full-service social media management agency with 180 people covering 30 languages, Dominic sold Tempero to Japanese media giant Dentsu in 2014 and merged with ICUC to become the world’s largest social media management agency. In 2019, Dominic hung up his CEO hat and returned to his entrepreneurial routes, advising and investing in digital businesses and start-ups