Welcome to Safety by Design

Watch this short video message from your course guide, Professor Matt Warren.

In this video you will meet your course guide, learn about the course objectives and structure, and get an overview of the first week of the course which introduces you to the concepts of Safety by Design and online safety.

Welcome to Safety by Design. This course has been developed by RMIT Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation in collaboration with the Office of the eSafety Commissioner (eSafety) drawing on eSafety’s Safety by Design initiative.

About the Office of the eSafety Commissioner

eSafety is Australia’s independent regulator and educator for online safety – the first of its kind in the world. eSafety represents the Australian Government’s commitment to protecting citizens from serious online harms.

The Online Safety Act 2021 governs the functions of eSafety and provides for a world-leading initiative – the Basic Online Safety Expectations determination. This sets a standard against which we can measure crucial sectors of the online industry. The Act also requires industry to develop mandatory codes to regulate the most seriously harmful online content, such as child sexual abuse material and pro-terror content. The Act also:

• Creates a world-first Adult Cyber Abuse Scheme for Australians 18 years and older
• Broadens the Cyberbullying Scheme for children to capture harms that occur on services other than social media, such as messaging services, online gaming and other apps
• Updates the Image-Based Abuse Scheme that allows eSafety to seek removal of intimate images or videos shared online without the consent of the person shown
• Gives eSafety powers to require internet service providers to block access to viral material showing abhorrent violent conduct such as terrorist acts
• Enhances the existing Online Content Scheme with new powers to regulate illegal and restricted content no matter where it’s hosted
• Provides powers to limit the availability of material such as child sexual exploitation content via search engines and apps
• Halves the time online service providers have to respond to an eSafety removal notice, and
• Reinforces eSafety’s pivotal role in coordination of online safety education and activities across Australia

You can find more information about eSafety’s role and functions on eSafety’s website: .https://www.esafety.gov.au/

Trigger warning:

This course contains references that some may find confronting, disturbing or emotionally challenging. Words or images may cause distress or sadness, or trigger painful memories for people, particularly survivors of past abuse, violence or trauma. For some people these responses can be overwhelming. If you need to talk to someone, support is available. In Australia, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 at any time for confidential telephone crisis support.

Information about other counselling and support services accessible in Australia is available from eSafety’s website: https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/counselling-support-services.

This course was designed in collaboration with the Australian Government eSafety Commissioner.