Dr Boloka, founder and CEO of OS Lab. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo)
Former Film and Publication Board (FPB) CEO Dr Mashilo Boloka has ventured into fighting digital and online threats by establishing Online Safety Lab (OS Lab) – a trust safety start-up.
The start-up, which started operating in 2025, seeks to help organisations across Africa navigate the growing risks associated with digital platforms, emerging technologies and online abuse.
OS Lab operates within what has become known globally as the trust and safety industry – a relatively new sector that has evolved from online content moderation into a broader market encompassing regulatory compliance, platform integrity, risk management and user protection.
In an interview with ITWeb, Boloka, founder and CEO of OS Lab, says his new venture was founded to help technology companies manage what is often considered “non-core services”, including regulatory compliance, online risk assessments, platform clean-up and user support, while ensuring users can trust and feel safe online.
The company was established in response to the rapid expansion of digital platforms on the continent, coupled with increasing technology-facilitated harms such as online abuse, fraud, deepfakes and unsafe digital environments, he adds.
“As digital ecosystems grow, so do the risks,” Boloka explains. “OS Lab assists organisations by assessing their trust and safety needs and delivering tailored support across policy development, regulatory compliance, content moderation and online risk management.
“We identified a gap in locally-rooted expertise and the need for proactive, Africa-centric trust and safety solutions that protect users, strengthen governance and support sustainable digital transformation.”
OS Lab targets policymakers and regulators developing online safety legislation, technology platforms and digital service providers operating in African markets, as well as trust and safety solution vendors and business process outsourcing firms seeking to expand into Africa.
Dr Boloka left the FPB when the organisation terminated his employment in April 2025, after he was placed under precautionary suspension from August 2024, pending an investigation into numerous allegations levelled against him.
Following his departure, he redirected his expertise in digital content regulation and online safety toward the private sector.
Tackling real-world online risks
Globally the trust and safety industry is at an inflection point – with new online safety regulations being increasingly introduced by governments. This includes the introduction of mandatory online risk assessment and the age assurance and verification in the UK and ban of social media platforms for under 16-year-olds in Australia.
“Trust and safety should not be confused with cyber security,” he cautions.
“While cyber security focuses on protecting systems and networks from external attacks, trust and safety deals with the policies, processes and tools which digital platforms use to mitigate harmful content and user behaviour.
“The industry has emerged as a result of several global shifts, including stronger regulatory and compliance requirements, advertiser withdrawal from platforms accused of public harm, post-COVID talent availability following mass layoffs, and the unionisation of content moderators – which has accelerated the move towards technology-assisted moderation.”
OS Lab’s services are structured around four pillars: online safety consultancy and strategic advisory, online risk assessments and research, content moderation solutions, and online safety education and awareness.
According to Boloka, online risk assessments and content moderation are the company’s flagship offerings. While these services are powered by artificial intelligence (AI), OS Lab employs a two-step approach that combines AI-driven analysis with human oversight to ensure quality assurance and contextual accuracy.
“AI plays a central role in both the risks OS Lab addresses and the solutions it delivers. OS Lab uses AI for data analysis, content creation and content moderation. Generative AI is applied primarily to moderation and fact-checking processes, with human moderators responsible for final quality control.”
Public education around the responsible use of AI is another major focus area, particularly in relation to deepfakes, fraud, data scraping, online scams and image-based sexual abuse.
“One key risk is the misuse of AI to create deepfake pornography and voice cloning, particularly targeting women. Another is image-based sexual abuse, highlighted by recent incidents involving manipulated images created using AI tools and circulated on social media platforms. A third risk area involves streaming and content aggregation services, where unclassified or pirated content can expose children to harmful material,” he concludes.
