Jigsaw – Technology for safe and free society

“Jigsaw” is a technology incubator in the Google’s company Alphabet, which was created last year from the platform Google Ideas. At this year’s conference POINT we will have the opportunity to meet its Managing Director, Scott Carpenter, who will present the vision of this platform and some of the tools that have been developed with the help of it.

Jigsaw encourages the development of online tools and applications that fight against online censorship, digital attacks, violent extremism, online harassment and other threats of modern times.

Scott Carpenter, Managing Director of Jigsaw’s, in  this company oversees portfolio of products and designs, including team leadership, project management, as well as managing cross-functional teams at Google and other affiliates of Alphabet. In line with his previous experience, he is also responsible for building and maintaining internal and external partnerships to support mission Jigsaw.

More than six years ago, Google met with very sensitive ethical issues throughout its operations – such as how to deal with a YouTube video of extremist preacher or to continue cooperating with governments that promote censorship on the Internet in countries such as China, that introduce censorship on the Internet etc.Thus was created a platform forerunner Jigsaw’s – Google Ideas, with the primary objective of proactive thinking attitude of geopolitics and new technologies. Over the years there has been strong development of innovative solutions. Google Ideas began with “low-tech” initiatives, (such as networks for the exchange of information among activists who were members of militant extremist groups), while newer tools are using strength and engineering talent accumulated within the company Alphabet.

One of the problems that this platform deals with are DDoS attacks on the media and organizations who are dealing with investigative stories. In Jigsaw they developed Project Shield, a tool that provides web-hosting for these organizations and helps them to protect their sites against such attacks. Another interesting tool is the Digital Attack Map, map that with the help of data Arbor Networks provides an overview of the current DDoS attacks worldwide.

Within Jigsaw incubator they developed Unfiltered.News, map which compares how the individual stories are processed in different countries.

There are also tools such as “Conversation AI” and “Perspective” developed in order to prevent online nuisance through comments on web portals, but also “uProxy”, application of Washington University’s which allows free and free Internet access, allowing people living in repressive societies, to connect with those living in countries with open access.

Also, in the Jigsaw incubator they’ve recently developed “Share the Facts” tool for combating false news, and it will be applied within Google news which will allow “fact-check” tag that indicates whether an information has been verified. Tool that results of “fact-checking” makes visible, is designed to prevent the increasing dissemination of false news, especially in light of the recent US presidential election.

Jigsaw believes in universal access to the Internet, freedom of expression and information exchange.  Among the global challenges that this incubator tackles are preventing the spread of online propaganda and improving transparency and accountability in society.