Human-computer Analysis of Risk, Misuse & Safety Lab
A research and teaching lab at the forefront of the identification, understanding and evaluation of Digital Harms
What is HARMS?
Our lab is an interdisciplinary research and teaching hub dedicated to understanding and addressing digital harms and online safety in an increasingly connected world. We aim to lead the research and teaching discourse on the social, technical, and systemic risks emerging across contemporary digital environments.
We conduct impactful, policy-relevant research on digital harms and online safety across social media, communication platforms, online gaming, educational technologies, and algorithmic systems including the use and abuse of AI and, in particular, Machine Learning. Our work addresses both harmful behaviours and the wider structural risks embedded in digital environments.
Drawing on expertise from security science, criminology, behavioural science, computational social science, and data ethics, the lab seeks to understand how digital harms emerge and evolve, develop evidence-based interventions and technological safeguards, and inform regulation and platform governance. We work closely with partners across academia, industry, and government to ensure our research supports realing-world decision-making.
Our research combines computational, qualitative, experimental, and policy-focused methods, enabling us to capture the complexity of online risk and design responses that promote public safety, digital resilience, and ethical innovation.