After a pivotal university lecture digging into the history of child abuse in Ireland, John Buckley found his calling. His career path led him to tech giants Facebook and Google, driven by first-hand observations of how technology was playing a larger and larger role in children's lives.In this episode, John Starr talks with John Buckley, director and head of child rights & safety with the Lego Group. Buckley shares his remarkable journey, from nonprofit work to leading child safety initiatives in tech.Buckley gives us a rare insider perspective on trust and safety work inside the tech giants dominating the online landscape. Despite what many think, he emphasizes that the "humans in the loop" advocate passionately for user safety within tech companies. He discusses effective advocacy tactics, the evolution of trust and safety in 2025, and advises aspiring professionals to become a Swiss Army knife of skills while not entirely drinking the Kool-Aid.The conversation explores generative AI's impact, the vital role of nonprofit partnerships, and why—despite technological challenges—the dedicated community of trust and safety professionals gives Buckley hope for the future.
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38:32
Aaron Rodericks: Scaling Safety During Rapid Growth
In this revealing conversation, John Starr speaks with Aaron Rodericks, Head of Trust and Safety at Bluesky, about his unexpected journey to become the trust and safety leader at one of today's fastest-growing social platforms.Rodericks candidly discusses the realities of scaling trust and safety at a pre-revenue startup with just 20 employees total while experiencing explosive growth—from 3,500 to one million new users daily. He shares how this growth forced him to "throw the roadmap in the garbage" and practice ruthless prioritization when facing 250,000 user reports in a single day.The conversation explores Bluesky's revolutionary approach to moderation—a decentralized model where users and organizations can create their own moderation systems rather than relying on gatekeepers. Rodericks explains how this "composable moderation" shifts power dynamics, allowing communities to create specialized labels for niche and specific issues.As a self-described "extreme generalist" who allocates small percentages of his capacity to everything from GDPR compliance to disinformation campaigns, Rodericks offers personal insights into the human toll of public-facing trust and safety work. He emphasizes the importance of self-care and finding identity outside work through practices like archery and meditation.
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41:49
Safe Space - Talking Trust & Safety: Patricia Cartes | EP 3
From aspiring United Nations interpreter to Trust & Safety leader, Patricia Cartes, Head of Trust & Safety at Cantina AI, takes us on her global journey into online safety. Thorn's VP of Strategic Impact, John Starr, explores Cartes' journey from translating spam websites to shaping content policies at tech giants.Patricia reflects on the early days of T&S under "online sales and operations" to its current status as a flourishing field critical to business success. She offers a robust perspective on balancing free speech with user protection, drawing from her extensive experience in public policy and global perspectives. Her vision for the future of the field is full of determined hope, where growing professionalization and dynamic cross-industry collaboration pave the way to diligently address complex online safety issues such as child sexual exploitation.Learn more about Thorn’s technology for good at safer.io
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35:36
Safe Space - Talking Trust & Safety: Jerrel Peterson | EP 2
From social work to social networks online, Jerrel Peterson, Director of Content Policy at Spotify and former Twitter alum, takes us on his unexpected journey into Trust & Safety. Thorn's VP of Strategic Impact, John Starr, talks with Peterson about his fascinating transition from aspiring plastic surgeon to social worker, and ultimately to a content policy expert bringing a unique perspective to online safety. Jerrel explores the crucial role of "soft skills" in Trust & Safety and how he approaches leading teams through complex decision-making processes, balancing objectivity with organizational values in content moderation. He tackles the misconception that Trust & Safety operates in isolation and offers valuable insights into making it an essential requirement for platform success. Learn more about Thorn’s technology for good at safer.ioAccess more child safety resources for Trust and Safety professionals: https://get.safer.io/resources-trust-safety
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29:49
Safe Space - Talking Trust & Safety: Yoel Roth | EP 1
In this candid conversation, Yoel Roth, VP at Match Group and Twitter alum, shares his personal and professional evolution in Trust & Safety. Host John Starr, Thorn’s VP of Strategic Impact, asks Roth to reflect on his interests in the early internet days and lessons learned while shaping the safety landscape of today's biggest platforms. Discover how a curious grad student became a pivotal figure in online protection, and learn why Roth believes we need to shift from reactive moderation to proactive safety by design. Yoel brings a fresh perspective to hard questions about what we can do better as a field and gives his take on why the perception of T&S as the "internet janitors" just cleaning up the bad stuff needs a serious update.Learn more about Thorn's technology for good at safer.io
What does it take to make the Internet a safer place? More importantly, who does it take? Safe Space explores the human side of trust & safety—featuring the leaders, thinkers, and builders working to protect online communities. Hosted by John Starr, VP of Operations and Strategic Impact at Thorn, this podcast dives into the personal journeys of those shaping the future of the digital world—one policy, one decision, and one conversation at a time.Presented by Safer by Thorn.
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