David Polgar: Building Community Around Responsible Technology
David Polgar, founder of All Tech is Human, shares how he built a 55,000-member community focused on responsible technology without a tech background. Polgar reveals the motivations driving trust and safety professionals as they seek to reclaim the internet's original promise of global connection.
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36:27
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36:27
Safe Space welcomes a new co-host, Pailes Halai
John Starr sits down with our new host, Pailes Halai, Thorn's Sr. Manager of Key Accounts & Partnerships, to hear how he got here and his interest in uncovering the stories of trust and safety pros in the AI industry.
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7:06
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7:06
Del Harvey: Optimism and Collaboration in Trust & Safety
Del Harvey, a legend in the field, built Twitter's trust and safety organization from the ground up, leading it for over a decade as the platform became a global phenomenon. In this Safe Space episode, the pioneering safety leader shares her unconventional journey from lifeguard to reality TV psychological screener to trust and safety icon. Del offers insights into hiring passionate teams, building psychological safety for rapid decision-making, and maintaining optimism while preparing for worst-case scenarios. She discusses the evolution of trust and safety as a field, the importance of collaborative rather than adversarial approaches, and her transition from Twitter to advising the next generation of safety leaders. Host John Starr, who worked under Del's leadership for six years, guides this conversation filled with strategic wisdom and practical advice for anyone working to make the internet safer.
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40:54
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40:54
John Buckley: The Human Element in Trust & Safety
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
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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.
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.
Listen to Safe Space - Talking Trust and Safety, The AI Daily Brief (Formerly The AI Breakdown): Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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