Front Door Theory
Front Door Theory
A safeguarding framework for digital systems.
The blind spot in Trust & Safety
Most Trust and Safety models are built around enforcement. They ask: does this content violate our policies? Should this account be suspended? How quickly can we respond to this report?
These questions matter. But they engage at the wrong point in the risk lifecycle.
By the time content is flagged, a report is filed, or a policy breach is detected, a sequence of events has already unfolded. An account was created. Early behavioural signals were missed. Interaction patterns escalated without intervention. Harm reached a point where moderation became the only remaining option.
This is not a failure of moderation. It's a structural gap. Downstream controls inherit risk that has already compounded.
Downstream controls inherit risk that has already compounded.
What Front Door Theory Offers
Front Door Theory is a framework for understanding how risk enters digital systems—and how to intervene before harm escalates.
The 'front door' is not a single step. It's the collection of early system interactions where risk first appears: account creation, age and identity signals, early behaviour patterns, interaction dynamics, permission settings, and changes over time.
Traditional T&S treats these as neutral technical processes. Front Door Theory treats them as risk-relevant.
Traditional Trust & Safety asks: 'Does this content break the rules?' Front Door Theory asks: 'Is this interaction safe to continue?'
This shift allows platforms to intervene earlier and more consistently—without relying solely on user reports or policy breaches.
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Risk enters systems early <p>Safeguarding decisions are most effective before harm becomes explicit.</p>
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Patterns matter more than isolated events <p>Early behavioural and interaction patterns often signal risk before content breaches occur.</p>
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Escalation must be designed, not improvised <p>Clear thresholds and pathways are required so risk does not stall between automation and human judgement.</p>
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Human judgement is essential in high-risk cases <p>AI supports detection and triage but does not replace human accountability when safeguarding risk is ambiguous or severe.</p>
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Safeguarding is infrastructure <p>Effective prevention depends on system design, not only policy statements or ethics frameworks.</p>
The Front Door Theory white paper provides a detailed examination of the framework, including its application for platforms, insurers, and regulators.
The framework is designed for Trust & Safety leaders, platform executives, insurers assessing digital risk, and regulators developing safeguarding guidance. It provides a common language for understanding early-stage risk governance.