Safety By Design
Learn how to design online products and services with user safety and rights at the core of the design and development process.
796 enrolled on this course
Duration
4 weeksWeekly study
3 hoursLanguages
English, Italiano, Español, Français, PortuguêsEnglish, Italiano100% online
How it works
Safety By Design
Understand why cyber safety matters
If you design online products and services, it is important to invest in risk mitigation and embed user protections from the beginning. Knowledge of user safety and rights is crucial to help prevent platforms and products being unintentionally weaponised to carry out abuse.
Jointly developed by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner and RMIT University’s Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation, this course will arm you with the skills and tools to design online products and services with safety and user rights at their core.
Using the principles of Safety by Design, you’ll gain essential knowledge to minimise threats by anticipating, detecting, and eliminating online harms before they occur.
Unpack transparency and accountability
Explore the three principles of Safety by Design: service provider responsibility, user empowerment and autonomy, and transparency and accountability.
Discover how these principles can be used in your context to increase online safety knowledge and reduce the risk of harm for users.
Enhance online safety with industry assessment tools
Put your knowledge into practice as you conduct an assessment on a mock online product or service.
This will help develop practical skills to ensure you can use the industry assessment tools outside of this course to help embed user safety and rights in online products and services.
Delve into the global Safety by Design landscape
Finally, explore other key initiatives of Safety by Design, such as the tools and resources available to investors and financial entities.
Learn about considerations involved in applying Safety by Design as technologies evolve. This will help increase your awareness of Safety by Design to ensure you have the skills to embed user safety in your products, services and organisation culture.
Syllabus
Week 1
Why online safety matters
Introduction
Week 1 introduction
The basics of user safety
We focus on responsibility of user safety, and user safety 101 (the things to look out for)
Introducing Safety by Design
What is Safety by Design
Key benefits and initiatives of Safety by Design
We look at the key benefits of SbD
Week 1 wrap up
Week 1 wrap up
Week 2
The three principles of Safety by Design
Introduction
Week 2 introduction
Key principles of Safety by Design
Key principles of Safety by Design
Principle 1: Service provider responsibility
Principle 1: Service provider responsibility
Principle 2: User empowerment and autonomy
Principle 2: User Empowerment and Autonomy
Principle 3: Transparency and accountability
Principle 3: Transparency and accountability
Putting the principles into practice
Putting the principles into practice
Week 2 wrap up
Week 2 wrap up
Week 3
Industry assessment tools
Introduction
Overview of the week, including the topics covered and why they are important
Safety by Design assessment tools
We provide an overview of the tool and how it aligns with the SbD principles
Activity: Perform an assessment
Explanatory information on how to use the tool
Week 3 wrap up
Week 3 Wrap up
Week 4
A holistic approach to Safety by Design
Introduction
Week 4 introduction
Applying Safety by Design as technologies evolve
As well as the industry assessment tools, we discuss the other key initiatives to help embed user safety and rights into online products and services.
Investment, start-up and technology development
Resources for investors and financial entities
Global application of Safety by Design
Consider the ways in which Safety by Design is being applied globally, in the face of rapidly evolving technologies, to ensure a proactive and preventative approach to user safety.
Revisiting the big question
Review the big question presented in week 1 investigating how Safety by Design addresses it
Week 4 wrap up
Week 4 wrap up
Final assessment
Final assessment
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Apply the principles of Safety by Design to the design, development and release of online products and services
- Identify the ways technology companies can minimise online threats by anticipating, detecting and eliminating online harms before they occur
- Implement practices which help to embed online safety into the culture and leadership of the organisation.
Who is the course for?
This course is suitable for:
• Anyone with an interest in designing and developing online products and services
• IT personnel involved in online product and service design and development
• Educators involved in upskilling students on technology design and online safety
• Anyone with an interest in technology policy
• Engineers, computer scientists, lawyers, ethicists, entrepreneurs working in the technology space.
Who will you learn with?
Matthew Warren is the Director of the RMIT University Centre of Cyber Security Research and Innovation (CCSRI) and a Professor of Cyber Security at RMIT University, Australia.
Who developed the course?
RMIT University
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) is a global university, with over 80,000 students, specialising in technology, design and enterprise.
Established
1887Location
Melbourne, AustraliaWorld ranking
Top 210Source: QS World University Rankings 2022
Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation
The RMIT University Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation (CCSRI) is an award-winning centre with a multi-disciplinary and applied approach to research, education and innovation within cyber security, considering the human, organisational and technological aspects of the field.
In collaboration with
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Cancel for free anytime |
Ways to learn
Choose the best way to learn for you!
Subscribe & save
$244.99 for a whole year
Automatically renews
Develop skills to further your career
- Access to this course
- Access to 1,000+ courses
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Digital certificate when you're eligible
Cancel for free anytime
Buy this course
$109/one-off payment
Fulfill your current learning need
- Access to this course
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Start learning today
Free
Try this course - with limits
- Limited to 4 weeks
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades) Sale price available until 2 November 2026 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply. | |||
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)
Sale price available until 2 November 2026 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.
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- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
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Map your progress
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- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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