ENCASE · Project

Browser Tools That Protect Children from Online Predators, Bullies, and Fake Accounts

digitalTestedTRL 6

encase.socialcomputing.eu

Imagine your kid is on social media and someone with a fake profile starts messaging them, or classmates gang up on them online. Right now, parents have almost no way to catch this in real time. ENCASE built browser add-ons — like a safety net running quietly in the background — that can spot aggressive behavior, flag fake accounts, and warn when a child is about to share private photos or their home address with the wrong people. It even uses techniques like digital watermarking to protect content that's already been shared.

By the numbers

EUR 2,160,000

EU funding for development

consortium partners

countries involved

browser add-ons built

demo deliverables produced

56%

industry partner ratio

SME partners in consortium

total project deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

Children are increasingly exposed to cyberbullying, sexual predators using fake accounts, and accidental oversharing of private information on social media. Current platform-level moderation is reactive and inconsistent, leaving parents and schools with limited tools to protect minors in real time. Companies building safety products, running youth-facing platforms, or providing content moderation services need proven detection technology they can deploy quickly.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered 3 working browser add-ons: one that detects aggressive or distressed behavior among users, one that identifies fake identities and false information on social networks, and one that warns when sensitive content is about to be shared with the wrong audience (with built-in watermarking, encryption, and steganography protection). An in-browser content analysis filter and a scalable back-end analytics stack were also implemented and pilot-tested.

Audience

Who needs this

EdTech companies building parental control or student safety platformsSocial media platforms serving younger audiences needing compliance toolsCybersecurity firms offering content moderation and threat detection servicesSchool districts and education authorities implementing digital safety policiesChild protection NGOs and law enforcement agencies monitoring online threats

Business applications

Who can put this to work

EdTech and School Safety Platforms

SME

Target: Companies building digital safety tools for schools and parents

If you are an EdTech company building parental control or school monitoring software — this project developed browser add-ons that detect cyberbullying and distressed behavior in real time across social networks. With 9 consortium partners across 5 countries having piloted these tools, the detection algorithms could be licensed and integrated into your existing platform to offer parents and schools an extra layer of protection.

Social Media and Online Platforms

enterprise

Target: Social networks and community platforms serving younger audiences

If you run an online platform where minors interact — this project built a scalable back-end software stack paired with browser add-ons that detect fraudulent accounts, fake identities, and aggressive behavior patterns. The system was tested with real users and could help you meet growing regulatory requirements around child safety without building detection capabilities from scratch.

Cybersecurity and Content Moderation

mid-size

Target: Cybersecurity firms offering content protection and moderation services

If you are a cybersecurity company providing content moderation or digital rights management — this project developed content protection techniques using steganography, encryption, and watermarking, plus an in-browser content analysis filter. These tools were implemented as working browser add-ons with pilot testing completed, ready to be adapted for commercial content protection products.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or integrate these tools?

The project was publicly funded with EUR 2,160,000 under the MSCA-RISE scheme, and deliverables were released to the public. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated directly with the consortium coordinator (Cyprus University of Technology), but the public release commitment suggests favorable terms may be available.

Can these tools work at the scale of a real social network?

The architecture was explicitly designed with a scalable back-end software stack to handle large volumes of social web data. Pilot testing was completed as a formal deliverable, though scaling beyond pilot conditions would require further engineering.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP is shared among the 9 consortium partners across 5 countries under the MSCA-RISE grant agreement. The project committed to releasing the browser add-ons and back-end stack to the public, so some components may be openly available.

Does this help with child safety regulations like the EU Digital Services Act?

The tools directly address detection of harmful content targeting minors, fake accounts, and privacy threats — all areas where platforms now face legal obligations. The browser-based approach means it works across platforms without requiring platform cooperation.

How mature are the browser add-ons — are they ready to deploy?

Based on the deliverables, 3 distinct browser add-ons were implemented (behavior detection, fake identity detection, content protection) along with an in-browser content analysis filter. Pilots and testing results were completed, putting these at a tested-prototype stage rather than commercial-ready.

Can these tools integrate with our existing security infrastructure?

The browser-based architecture was designed to be modular — each of the 3 add-ons can operate independently or be combined. The back-end analytics stack processes social web data and could potentially feed into existing security dashboards or SIEM systems.

Consortium

Who built it

The ENCASE consortium brings together 9 partners from 5 countries (Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Italy, UK) with a notably high industry ratio of 56% — 5 industry partners including 4 SMEs alongside 4 universities. This industry-heavy makeup is unusual for a research mobility project and signals that the tools were built with real-world deployment in mind. The coordinator, Cyprus University of Technology, led the academic side while the industrial partners contributed production-grade software development expertise and access to real-world social network data and end-users. For a business looking to adopt these technologies, the strong SME presence means the consortium understands commercial constraints and product development realities.

TECHNOLOGIKO PANEPISTIMIO KYPROUCoordinator · CY
ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKISparticipant · EL
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI ROMA TREparticipant · IT
TELEFONICA INVESTIGACION Y DESARROLLO SAparticipant · ES
SIGNALGENERIX LIMITEDparticipant · CY
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDONparticipant · UK
CY.R.I.C CYPRUS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CENTER LTDparticipant · CY

How to reach the team

Coordinator is Cyprus University of Technology (CY). SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction to the project team.

Order a report on this consortium See TECHNOLOGIKO PANEPISTIMIO KYPROU profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing ENCASE's child safety browser tools or integrating the detection algorithms into your platform? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the development team and help structure a technology transfer agreement.

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