UCL startup Astroscreen builds technology to make social networks safer

Founded by Ali Tehrani (UCL Economics and Geography 2015), Astroscreen uses the latest machine learning techniques and human intelligence to tackle disinformation on social media. The company helps businesses and the government detect and mitigate the effects of disinformation.

Astroscreen were highlighted in a recent report by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport as an example of a British company tackling false, misleading or harmful online narratives. The report references Astroscreen as one of the key companies in the UK safety tech sector.

Ali commented: “It’s fantastic to be mentioned as one of the companies helping the UK be a world leader in online safety innovation.

“Social networks are designed to maximise engagement and these same features lead to online mobs, harassment and disinformation. At Astroscreen, we want to make social networks a safer place and we’re starting with disinformation detection.”

Mapping the spread of misinformation

Due to the coronavirus pandemic everyone is spending more time online. This has led to a rise in misinformation such as 5G conspiracy theories. These conspiracies claim that 5G networks are responsible for the spread of coronavirus. There is no scientific evidence to support this, and spreading false information poses a risk to public health.

Although the social environment is currently ripe for disinformation campaigns, Astroscreen was recently featured in the Evening Standard, after finding that most of the misinformation linking 5G to Covid-19 was spread by real people, including celebrities and influencers.

Supporting startups

Astroscreen have previously benefitted from the extracurricular entrepreneurship programmes and support at UCL Innovation & Enterprise. They’ve received business advice, mentoring and free office space in UCL’s dedicated entrepreneurship hub based in King’s Cross.

Ali said: “We’re grateful to have worked with UCL Innovation & Enterprise. The office space and introductions to investors were particularly useful. It enabled us to grow to a place where we could provide the tools to fight disinformation.”

Jerry Allen, Director for Entrepreneurship at UCL, said: “Disinformation in the wake of coronavirus is a real threat to the health of the public. We’re proud to have helped Astroscreen carry out their pioneering work, striving to keep everyone safe online.”

Investing in UCL innovations

Astroscreen also received support from The UCL Technology Fund, which invested in Astroscreen’s seed round. This investment supported the commercialisation of the social media threat detection research of Juan Echeverria at UCL.

The UCL Technology Fund is dedicated to investing in intellectual property commercialisation opportunities arising from UCL's world-class research base. It’s managed by AlbionVC in collaboration with UCL Business (UCLB), part of UCL Innovation & Enterprise.

The fund supports UCL in achieving the full potential of innovations that have prospects for outstanding societal and market impact. It follows innovations through the development journey from initial proof of concept to practical commercial application.

David Grimm, Investment Director at the UCL Technology Fund, said: “This is a fantastic example of cutting edge university research being applied to solve a massive problem that plagues the social media giants.”

Links

Find out more about:

• Entrepreneurial support for UCL students
• UCL Technology Fund

Further reading:

• Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport report on UK’s safety tech sector
• 5G Virus conspiracy theory fueled by coordinated effort (Bloomberg article)
• Fake news in Covid-19: how misinformation is spreading online during the pandemic (Evening Standard article)

Photo © Astroscreen