What does it mean to build tech in the public interest?
We focus on the evaluation, implementation and acceleration of public interest technology and promoting human agency.
We provide cutting-edge research on age assurance, digital identity and online safety regulation, bridging the gap between policy ambition and real-world implementation.
Our Research
Our research focuses on understanding what works, and what doesn't work, when it comes to building safe, accessible and empowering online platforms. We ask questions like:
How can children shape the technologies that impact their lives?
How effective are different age assurance tools, and what is their impact on fundamental rights?
How can we empower people to have more control over their data on online platforms?
What is the role of digital public infrastructure in building safer online environments?
Example Projects
Australia’s Age Assurance Technology Trial
In 2024, the Australian Government commissioned a consortium of organisations, including Illuminate Tech, to deliver a large-scale trial of the effectiveness of age assurance and online parental control technologies.
Illuminate Tech are leading the trial’s approach to Ethics, Privacy, and Impartiality, as well as overseeing the design of the trial’s technical evaluation activities in a manner informed by international standards.
Read the trial’s Evaluation Proposal, led by Illuminate Tech CTO Dr. Asad Ali, and other project deliverables on the trial website.
Project DefAI
On-device, “zero data” approaches to age estimation technology have potential to offer accessible, privacy-preserving means of providing people with age-appropriate online experiences.
But just as these technologies are reaching maturity, generative AI risks undermining their effectiveness by facilitating new ways of circumventing age estimation.
Project DefAI, a joint UK-Swiss project funded by InnovateUK and Innosuisse, seeks to develop and test new tools to detect and defend against gen-AI facilitated adversarial attacks.
Age Verification Solution – European Commission Project
Illuminate Tech are contributing to a flagship initiative led by the European Commission to strengthen online safety for minors. Illuminate tech CTO Dr. Asad Ali is advising on the technical design of a privacy-preserving, device-based age verification solution that prioritises security, data minimisation, and reusability across digital services.
This work supports the EU’s broader objectives under the Digital Services Act and the Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy. The goal is to develop a robust, standards-based system that allows users to verify they are over 18 without revealing any additional personal information. The outcome of the project is expected to be a reusable, white-label application that Member States can customise and distribute.
Working on this project reinforces our position at the intersection of regulation, technology, and policy — and showcases our ability to contribute to the development of scalable, privacy-conscious safety solutions in line with regulatory frameworks like the Digital Services Act and the UK's Online Safety Act.
Partner with us
If you’re looking for a team with deep expertise in the technologies shaping the future of online experiences. With a commitment to upholding fundamental rights, including the rights of the child. Who have worked at the heart of digital regulation, and understand how to deliver results with real-world applicability.
