After a decade at Cloudflare building Trust & Safety systems at internet scale, I help organizations navigate the complex landscape of online safety, anti-abuse engineering, and content moderation.

What I Offer

Trust & Safety Strategy

Building effective safety systems requires understanding both the technical architecture and human elements. I help organizations:

  • Design moderation systems that balance safety, privacy, and operational costs
  • Build detection systems for abuse, fraud, and malicious behavior at scale
  • Develop safety policies that are clear, enforceable, and adaptable
  • Navigate regulatory compliance including the UK Online Safety Act, GDPR, and child safety requirements
  • Optimize moderation workflows to reduce costs while improving quality

Child Safety & CSAM Prevention

Child safety online requires specialized expertise in detection systems, legal compliance, and working with organizations like NCMEC and IWF. I provide:

  • CSAM detection implementation - Integrating PhotoDNA, hash matching, and detection tools
  • Compliance guidance for child safety regulations across jurisdictions
  • Policy development for child safety that balances protection with operational reality
  • Crisis response planning for child safety incidents
  • Collaboration frameworks with law enforcement and safety organizations

Anti-Abuse Engineering

Stopping bad actors requires understanding attacker tactics and building systems that adapt to evolving threats:

  • Threat modeling for your specific platform and user base
  • Automated detection systems for spam, fraud, account abuse, and coordinated attacks
  • Infrastructure hardening against malicious traffic and abuse patterns
  • DNS and network security leveraging my background in internet infrastructure
  • Tool development for your security and trust teams

Content Moderation Systems

Having worked with moderation at scale, I understand what works and what doesn’t:

  • Human-AI hybrid systems that leverage automation without sacrificing judgment
  • Queue optimization and workflow design for moderation teams
  • Moderator wellbeing programs to address the psychological toll of the work
  • Appeals and transparency processes that respect due process
  • Economic modeling to understand true moderation costs

Policy & Regulatory Advisory

Online safety regulation is expanding rapidly, often with unintended consequences. I help organizations:

  • Understand regulatory requirements including the Online Safety Act, DSA, and age verification
  • Assess technical feasibility of proposed or existing regulations
  • Develop compliance strategies that minimize privacy and security risks
  • Navigate encryption vs. safety debates with technical clarity
  • Provide expert testimony or policy submissions based on operational experience

Why Work With Me

Real-World Experience at Scale

A decade at Cloudflare means I’ve dealt with abuse and safety challenges at internet scale. I’ve built systems that process millions of reports, worked with law enforcement on credible threats, and understand the operational realities of content moderation.

Technical Depth + Policy Understanding

I can discuss the technical implementation of detection systems and the policy implications of safety regulations. This combination is rare and essential for navigating today’s safety landscape.

Child Safety Expertise

Child safety isn’t just another category of harmful content - it requires specialized knowledge of detection tools, legal requirements, and the organizations that coordinate global efforts. I have specific experience in this space.

Pragmatic, Not Ideological

I’ve worked across the spectrum from “free speech absolutist” platforms to traditional social media. I understand that effective safety requires balancing competing interests, not picking ideological sides.

Privacy-Preserving Approaches

Having dealt with both security and privacy challenges, I can help design safety systems that don’t require building surveillance infrastructure. End-to-end encryption and user safety aren’t mutually exclusive.

Who I Work With

Platforms & Social Media

If you’re building or operating a platform with user-generated content, I can help you develop safety systems before abuse becomes a crisis.

Startups

Early-stage companies need to get Trust & Safety right from the beginning. I help startups build scalable safety systems without breaking the bank.

Established Tech Companies

Larger organizations often need help optimizing existing systems, navigating new regulations, or addressing specific abuse problems.

NGOs & Safety Organizations

Organizations working on online safety, child protection, or internet freedom can benefit from my understanding of how platforms actually operate.

Policy Makers & Regulators

I can help bridge the gap between technical reality and policy goals, ensuring regulations actually achieve their intended outcomes.

Engagement Types

Strategic Advisory

Ongoing consultation on Trust & Safety strategy, regulatory compliance, and safety operations.

Technical Implementation

Hands-on work designing and building detection systems, moderation tools, and safety infrastructure.

Crisis Response

Immediate help with safety incidents, including CSAM reports, credible threats, or coordinated attacks.

Training & Workshops

Educating your team on content moderation best practices, threat patterns, or regulatory requirements.

Expert Assessment

Third-party evaluation of existing safety systems, moderation quality, or compliance posture.

Policy Analysis

Technical assessment of proposed regulations or policy frameworks.

What Clients Say

The Problems I Solve

Organizations typically reach out when they’re facing:

  • Regulatory pressure - New laws requiring compliance with unclear technical requirements
  • Scaling challenges - Growing abuse problems that manual moderation can’t handle
  • Child safety incidents - CSAM reports or child exploitation concerns requiring specialized expertise
  • Platform abuse - Spam, fraud, or coordinated attacks overwhelming existing defenses
  • Moderation quality issues - Inconsistent decisions, high false positive rates, or moderator burnout
  • Technical-policy gaps - Disconnect between what regulators want and what’s technically feasible

Areas of Expertise

Core Competencies:

  • Trust & Safety operations and strategy
  • Child safety and CSAM detection
  • Anti-abuse engineering and threat detection
  • Content moderation systems (human + AI)
  • Online safety regulation and compliance
  • Security and privacy-preserving safety systems

Technical Skills:

  • Automated detection and classification systems
  • Machine learning for abuse detection
  • DNS and network infrastructure security
  • API design and developer tools
  • Distributed systems and infrastructure at scale

Industry Knowledge:

  • Platform safety across social media, messaging, and UGC sites
  • Law enforcement coordination and crisis response
  • NCMEC, IWF, and child safety organizations
  • Regulatory landscape (UK OSA, EU DSA, US state laws)
  • Economics of Trust & Safety operations

Let’s Talk

Whether you’re building a new platform, improving existing safety systems, or navigating complex regulatory requirements, I can help.

Get In Touch

Email: consulting [at] matthewgall [dot] com

Perfect for detailed discussions about your specific challenges and how I might help.

What to Include

When reaching out, it’s helpful to know:

  • What problem you’re trying to solve - Regulatory compliance, abuse patterns, system design, etc.
  • Your timeline - Immediate crisis, ongoing strategy, or future planning
  • Your organization type - Platform size, user base, existing safety capabilities
  • Engagement preference - Advisory, implementation, assessment, or training

Confidentiality

I understand that Trust & Safety work often involves sensitive information. All initial consultations are confidential, and I’m happy to sign NDAs before discussing specific details.

Availability

I’m currently available for consulting engagements ranging from short-term crisis response to longer-term strategic advisory relationships.

Response time: Usually within 24 hours for professional inquiries.

Note on Scope: While I have deep expertise in Trust & Safety, some challenges require multidisciplinary teams. I maintain relationships with experts in law, psychology, policy, and other areas, and can help assemble the right team for complex engagements.

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