Two Hat acquires ImageVision, develops AI to fight against child sexual abuse

Two Hat, a BC-based AI technology company announced that it has acquired ImageVision, a Texas-based image recognition and visual search company.

Two Hat is the developer of Community Sift, a content moderation tool designed to create a “troll-free internet”.

With its acquisition, Two Hat said they can now provide an all-in-one content moderation solution for social platforms. Recently, according to its website, Two Hat collaborated with the RCMP to develop CEASE.ai, an image recognition AI that has the ability to detect images relating to child sexual abuse.

CEASE.ai received support from the Government of Canada’s Build in Canada Innovation Program and Mitacs, a research organization consisting of Canadian universities. Two Hat plans to use ImageVision to accomplish a greater degree of accuracy and precision. The program will be made available to both public and private sectors.

Priebe believes that 2019 is the year that image moderation should become a necessity for social platforms.

“This issue affects everyone, from the child who is a victim, to the law enforcement agents who investigate these horrific cases, to the social media platforms where the images are posted,” Chris Priebe, the founder and CEO of Two Hat said. “With CEASE.ai, we’ve leveraged our relationship with law enforcement to help platforms protect their most vulnerable users.”

CEASE.ai is different from technology that identifies known images, according to Two Hat which said CEASE.ai has the ability to detect new child sexual abuse material. It can be used to remove child abuse images quickly, preventing the sharing and circulation of such images. The goal of Two Hat’s AI aims to reduce investigators’ trauma and workload while rescuing victims faster.

Priebe believes that 2019 is the year that image moderation should become a necessity for social platforms.

“The big players are recognizing the value of creating safe online spaces for all users,” Priebe said. “We’re excited to help bring that possibility to more sharing platforms this year. We can’t wait to collaborate with social networks with this innovative technology.

Featured image via Pixabay.