The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motorsport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, has welcomed ethical data science expert Signify Group as a signatory to the United Against Online Abuse Charter.

During the second annual United Against Online Abuse conference in Stockholm, Signify became a key member of the global coalition of over 70 partners against online abuse, committed to the shared principles of collaboration, transparency, and responsibility in addressing the threat.

Signify’s Threat Matrix service is a world leader in protecting athletes and individuals from online abuse, using AI and open-source data to detect, monitor, and analyse the threat with their proprietary technology. Working with major sports organisations the service has covered the very biggest international sporting events and global tours including Football World Cups, Olympic Games, Athletics World Championships, Rugby World Cups and US College Championships. Signify’s work across Global Tennis (where they support the International Tour’s WTA and ITF, as well as Grand Slam events including the US Open and the Championships, Wimbledon), has illuminated issues around fixated threat and gambling. Their support of Match Officials for World Rugby has also set new standards in protection from online abuse, including groundbreaking action such as arrests and criminal prosecutions around the world. The company not only helps these organisations better understand the problem of online abuse, but also supports real-world steps to protect their athletes, players and officials. This includes providing comprehensive information on abusive accounts to pass to platforms, assembling evidence packages for review with law enforcement, and providing data-driven insights to governments to inform legislation such as the UK’s Online Safety Act.

By championing collaboration, UAOA aims to be a world leader in the research of online abuse and the production of solution-oriented responses to the epidemic of online abuse. Signify is another key partner in the coalition’s efforts to educate on the use of AI for detecting and monitoring online abuse, and to raise awareness of response mechanisms against perpetrators.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, UAOA Founder and FIA President, said:

“The FIA launched the United Against Online Abuse campaign to protect athletes, officials, volunteers and fans from digital harm. To win this battle it requires a combined global approach across sports, tech, government and academia, united behind a common mission. We are very excited to welcome Signify and their pioneering work in this field to our coalition as they will strengthen our ability to combine research, regulation and innovation in driving meaningful change worldwide.”

Jonathan Hirshler, CEO of Signify AI, said:

“We are proud to stand alongside the FIA and other UAOA partners in this initiative. Online abuse undermines fairness, safety, and participation and our organisation has become a leading force in using technology to tackle this. By contributing our data insights and experience working with some of the world’s largest sporting organisations, we aim to make digital spaces safer for athletes, officials, fans, and communities worldwide.”

The FIA’s UAOA campaign is a research-led coalition supported by the FIA Foundation. Founded in 2023 by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem the campaign has witnessed rapid growth in recent months and was recently awarded Peace and Sport’s prestigious Coalition for Peace award in recognition of its world-leading efforts building a formidable campaign driving meaningful change.

To date, the UAOA coalition has welcomed endorsements from the Governments of Greece, France, Slovenia, Albania, Australia, Kenya, Costa Rica, Namibia, Rwanda, Georgia and the Republic of Paraguay, alongside organisations such as the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) which represents one million athletes, sports federations including Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) that has over 50 World Championships, the International Esports Federation, ASETEK SimSports, International Federation of American Football, Peace and Sport Monaco, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, Clark Hill LLP, Arwen.AI and Dublin City University.  For more information visit: https://unitedagainstonlineabuse.com

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact:

Sophia Martin-Pavlou, Director of Corporate Communications: smartin-pavlou@fia.com  

Geri Sherwin, Director of Presidential & Mobility Communications: gsherwin@fia.com   

Maria Zander, Corporate Communications Manager: mzander@fia.com   

About the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA)

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations globally. It is a non-profit organisation committed to driving innovation and championing safety, sustainability and equality across motor sport and mobility. 

Founded in 1904, with offices in Paris, London and Geneva, the FIA brings together 245 Member Organisations across five continents, representing millions of road users, motor sport professionals and volunteers. It develops and enforces regulations for motor sport, including seven FIA World Championships, to ensure worldwide competitions are safe and fair for all.