Yubo Head of Legal & Public Policy Sharone Franco joins Tech Coalition Board of Directors

The prestigious appointment sees Franco collaborating with industry peers from TikTok, Meta, Google, to combat the most pressing online safety risks facing minors today

PARIS, June 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Yubo, the leading social discovery platform for Gen Z, is proud to announce that Sharone Franco, Head of Legal & Public Policy, has joined the Board of Directors of the Tech Coalition, an alliance of leading technology companies focused on eradicating online child exploitation and ensuring safer digital environments for children and teens. Yubo has been a member of Tech Coalition since 2021.

Franco,  a former practicing attorney specializing in data protection, cybersecurity, and intellectual property litigation, brings extensive expertise in legal frameworks, policy development, and online safety strategy. In 2023, she was responsible for spearheading development of the award-winning AFNOR SPEC reference document, a groundbreaking public policy initiative aimed at providing uniform standards for child online safety protocols on digital platforms, accomplished in partnership with Paris-based standards organization Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR).

"I am honored to join the Tech Coalition Board of Directors and work alongside such esteemed leaders of the global tech industry to further advance the mission of fostering online safety for young users," Franco said. "At Yubo, the safety of our users is a top priority, and industry collaboration is a cornerstone of our online safety innovation efforts. My appointment to the board is a valuable opportunity for our team to strengthen its ties to like-minded organizations and work as a collective to eliminate online safety issues at scale."

Founded in 2006, the Tech Coalition leverages the resources, expertise, and influence of the tech industry's most dominant companies to tackle complex and evolving online child safety challenges. Among its recent groundbreaking initiatives is Lantern, the first cross-platform signal sharing program for companies to strengthen how they enforce their child safety policies.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sharone Franco to the Tech Coalition Board of Directors. Her dedication to online safety and expertise in international public policy make her a valuable addition. With her leadership, we are confident that the Tech Coalition can continue to develop innovative solutions and set higher standards for online child safety," said Tech Coalition President and CEO  Sean Litton.

The Tech Coalition 2024 Board of Directors:

• Ethan Arenson, Verizon - Chair
• Antigone Davis, Meta - Treasurer
• Josh Parecki, Zoom - Secretary
• Sharone Franco, Yubo Head of Legal & Public Policy
• Chengos Lim, Roblox Director of Safety
• Emily Cashman Kirstein, Google Child Safety, Public Policy
• Kristine Dorrain, Amazon Senior Corporate Counsel for Content Policy
• Lili Nguyen, TikTok USDS Head, Risk & Response Operations
• Liz Thomas, Microsoft Director of Public Policy, Digital Safety

"This appointment marks a significant step forward in Yubo's efforts to lead the industry in creating a secure online environment," said Yubo co-founder and CEO Sacha Lazimi. "Together with the Tech Coalition, Yubo is committed to leveraging its platform and resources to make meaningful advancements in child protection and online safety."

ABOUT YUBO
Yubo is a live social discovery app that makes it easy for Gen Z to make new friends and hang out online. By eliminating likes and follows, we empower young people to show up as their true selves and form genuine connections. As a platform serving teens and young adults, safety is a cornerstone of Yubo. All of our features and policies are developed with guidance from our board of safety experts, which is made up of respected leaders and online safety experts from such organizations as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Thorn, and The Diana Award. Founded in France in 2015, more than 80 million users across more than 140 countries have joined Yubo to date. Visit us at yubo.live to learn more and follow our journey.

ABOUT TECH COALITION
The Tech Coalition is an alliance of global tech companies that are working together to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse online. They work to inspire, guide, and support industry members, helping them work together to protect children from online sexual exploitation and abuse.

Media Contact:
Debora Lima, Yubo Media Director
[email protected]

SOURCE Yubo