This talk is part of the TrustCon 2024 Policy & Product Lightning Talk session. Lightning talk sessions are 50 minutes long, featuring a series of short 5-7 minute talks back-to-back in the same room, followed by Q&A at the end.

There is a wealth of experience amongst the growing community of researchers, academics and trust and safety professionals. However, it is rare that product teams at tech companies are able to meaningfully engage with experts during the product development process. When Google started to develop Circle to Search, a new way to search anything on your Android phone screen, the product team recognized the unique challenges and opportunities of this new technology and built a deep and meaningful engagement program with external experts. Join Mary Ioannidis, Senior Product Manager at Google, as she dives into the why and how of this novel collaboration. Learn how Google invested in building trust and user-centricity into Circle to Search by leveraging the expertise of leading voices in privacy, data governance, and HCI. Discover the tangible results of this program, from enhanced privacy features to a more intuitive and human-centered design.