LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bright Data (formerly Luminati Networks), a leading online data collection platform, today announced the latest developments within the Bright Initiative program, which works with academic institutions, NGOs, NPOs, and public sector bodies to drive positive change. The Bright Initiative encompasses dozens of social responsibility and educational initiatives, delivers aid in crisis response situations, contributes to government programs, and underpins critical academic research.
The Bright Initiative is built on three key pillars: promoting web transparency, fighting social injustice, and encouraging data-driven expertise through education and research. With these pillars in mind, the Bright Initiative partners with like-minded organisations and institutions to tackle critical issues facing society to create a brighter tomorrow.
Government
The Bright Initiative is actively supporting government agencies around the world. Bright Data is supporting the UK Government’s work to implement its National Data Strategy (NDS). Bright Data submitted a formal response to the NDS consultation and has offered extensive educational support as well as knowledge-sharing. Bright Data CEO Or Lenchner also participated in a recent Institute for Government Data Bites event and shared insights on the ethics of data collection. Bright Data continues to speak with leading NDS stakeholders and is working with the UK Enterprise Forum to convene a discussion event bringing leading business figures together with the country’s Minister for Data.
In Israel, where more than a million citizens were left without a job as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Israeli Labor Ministry, together with JDC Tevet, are deploying Bright Data’s automated data collection services to support those seeking to return back to work.
Academic institutions
Knowledge-sharing and research sit at the heart of the Bright Initiative. Having created over 70 partnerships with world-renowned academic institutions, the Initiative educates and supports the next generation of data practitioners. For example, the Bright Initiative and King’s College London have held joint seminars exploring present and future data-led opportunities as well as discussing the importance of transparent conduct. Bright Data also holds data skills workshops and masterclasses as well as supports research at universities such as Princeton, Oxford, and ETH Zurich.
It's widely recognised that success in higher education is crucial to increasing social mobility. As such, the Bright Initiative is working with upReach, a UK organisation that supports undergrad students from less advantaged backgrounds to secure top jobs. The Bright Initiative is running a workshop as part of upReach’s Virtual Internship program, giving students from over 70 UK universities an opportunity to learn about the data industry and build data skills.
NPOs, NGOs & Socially Focused Projects
As part of its work, the Bright Initiative offers pro-bono support to NPOs and NGOs. In the past year, much of this has focused on the global fight against COVID-19. Just one beneficiary is Find a Shot, a US startup that uses Bright Data’s Data Unblocker technology to find available COVID-19 vaccine appointments at local pharmacies.
To support diversity and inclusion, The Bright Initiative works with the leading diversity hiring technology company Mathison to allow it to gather and source information from diversity talent networks to identify talent amongst job seekers and provide the information to companies looking to hire diverse candidates.
The first-of-its-kind data initiative also offers life-saving resources to organisations that serve vulnerable populations, such as abused children and victims of sex trafficking. Using Bright Data’s technology, Israeli charity Elem has developed a machine learning system that can identify abused youth. The system collects massive amounts of publicly available social media data, which can detect the profiles of abused youth. Lastly, HTI Labs, a research initiative combating violence and exploitation through technology, has partnered with the Bright Initiative to use its web scraping capabilities to identify potential trafficking networks within the commercial sex industry.
Bright Data has recently teamed up with the Market Research Society (MRS) and has become a member of the MRS’s International Affiliate program. MRS is the leading and most experienced professional research regulator in the world, working with government as the sector regulator and with privacy regulators internationally on Fair Data.
“Bright Data’s position as the leading online data collection platform gives us a responsibility to harness our expertise to drive positive change in the world”, said Or Lenchner, CEO of Bright Data. “The Bright Initiative allows us to champion social justice campaigns and spearhead critical research across the world, making a positive impact where it matters most. We are committed to helping those most in need and look forward to expanding our work to even more worthy causes.”
To learn more and join the Bright Initiative visit: brightinitiative.com
