In an era where digital content moderation is increasingly scrutinized, Google’s incubator subsidiary Jigsaw has stepped up with a new open-source tool designed to assist smaller platforms in tackling extremist content. Known as Altitude, this innovative tool aims to level the playing field for companies struggling to keep pace with large tech giants like Meta and X.
As online platforms face mounting pressure from regulations like Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA) to swiftly remove harmful content, many smaller players find themselves overwhelmed. Jigsaw’s Altitude comes as a beacon of hope, providing these companies with a robust solution to manage extremist and violent content effectively.
Originally launched as Google Ideas before its rebrand in 2016, Jigsaw has a track record of developing tools to address complex societal issues such as misinformation and online toxicity. Altitude, introduced last November, is a significant addition to this lineup. It streamlines content verification by cross-referencing flagged material with multiple third-party databases, saving moderators from the tedious task of checking each source individually.
Developed in collaboration with Tech Against Terrorism and the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), Altitude consolidates data on extremist content into a single, actionable view. This integration allows moderators to swiftly identify and address potential threats while maintaining compliance with local regulations. Importantly, the tool does not automatically remove content but provides alerts for human review, ensuring a balanced approach to moderation.
After nine months of testing, Jigsaw is now transitioning Altitude to Tech Against Terrorism, which will oversee its ongoing development and maintenance. The tool’s code has been made available on GitHub under an Apache 2.0 license, allowing companies to self-host and inspect the code.
Altitude’s design reflects insights gained from extensive interviews with various platform operators, revealing that even well-established services can struggle with proactive identification of harmful content. By offering a dedicated interface for managing extremist content, Altitude aims to support platforms of all sizes, from social networks to URL-shortening services.
Looking ahead, Jigsaw and Tech Against Terrorism plan to enhance Altitude with specialized databases and expand its capabilities beyond English. As it stands, the tool represents a significant step forward in democratizing access to advanced content moderation technology, making it easier for smaller platforms to maintain a safer online environment.
