A vision of a safer digital future
“Welcome to Discribe, the Digital Security by Design Social Science Hub+. We are a community of social scientists, economists, computer scientists, and arts and humanities professionals from four leading UK universities, bringing diverse thinking together to help realise the possibility of a secure digital future for all.”
Adam Joinson, Director of Discribe
Our challenge
Our inspiration
Innovation in DSbD technologies can only succeed if we can imagine, anticipate and plan for threats as yet unknown. And if organisations and people using new technology recognise its importance and trust it to enhance rather than hamper business performance.
Regardless of their specific area of focus, we need to unite technologists, regulators, business and end-users alike behind a shared understanding of the problem. And behind a clearly expressed vision of the future all are inspired to play a part in shaping.
Our difference
Social science is a factor in many existing DSbDtech research programmes. Discribe is unique in being social science-led. We put human behaviour and motivation at the centre of our thinking. Through greater awareness and sociotechnical understanding of the human barriers that stand in the way of next generation digital security success, we believe we can transform policy making, accelerate adoption and drive consistent use.
Imagining secure digital futures
Our ability to imagine secure digital futures that will inspire the development and adoption of new technologies is driven in 3 core ways:
Research
Our own research is exploring the social, cultural, regulatory and readiness barriers that stand in the way of future adoption.
Networking
Our expert working groups, innovative networking approaches and industry-facing commissioning are intended to transform how different groups across the digital security spectrum come together to cross-fertilise thinking and ideas.
Storytelling
Through storytelling and engagement we’re aiming to explore a common language and new mental models for understanding, managing and expressing security risk, empowering organisations to act with new ways of thinking and framing that will be easier for people to grasp and retain.