From law to tech expert: Adeboro Odunlami bridging the ethical gap and empowering vulnerable communities

Adeboro Odunlami is the co-founder of Lawbrella, a platform offering legal support to survivors of image-based sexual abuse. She is an expert in ethical technology with over seven years of experience helping companies navigate regulatory landscapes and build user-centred products. In this interview with Chisom Michael, she shared insights on the challenges of aligning technology with ethical standards and the importance of user rights in product development. Adeboro discussed her work in advocating for safer digital ecosystems and the role of law in shaping technology for the betterment of society.

“…Clarity and relevance. User-centred product development for Africa would require very clear communication to help users manage their expectations especially where money is involved.”

 

Your career focuses on ethical technology and user trust. What inspired you to pursue this path, and how has your legal background shaped your approach to ensuring accountability in digital ecosystems?

That’s a great question. My first experience working on any form of tech was during my Law undergraduate degree at the University of Lagos. I took a one-month internship at Hotels.ng and I was so fascinated by how products were built and how fast-paced the tech world was. That experience sparked my interest and led me to work as a product manager at Fonebase Labs, where I managed three different products.

Through these experiences, I noticed that product development was mostly driven by technical goals; focusing on functionality and scaling. But as a lawyer, I couldn’t help but think about the legal, compliance, and ethical aspects that weren’t getting enough attention. At the time, there weren’t many conversations about how product decisions could impact users beyond their intended function.

After law school, I decided to focus on this gap and bring my legal background into the mix. My goal has been to help teams take a user-centred, rights-first approach in ensuring that technology is not only compliant but also ethical and built with people in mind.

You’ve helped companies align their innovations with legal and ethical standards. Can you share an example of a particularly challenging regulatory issue you’ve tackled and how you approached resolving it?

Sure. Because of how borderless tech is, one of the biggest regulatory challenges for a product operating across multiple regions is aligning or complying with differing privacy laws and standards. I once managed a product that relied heavily on user data to deliver a personalised experience and it was quite important to me that the data collection and processing was compliant with global frameworks like the GDPR but also local regulatory frameworks like the NDPR (at the time). To address this, first I had to truly understand the data lifecycle and this meant working closely with the engineers and other product managers.

I identified and mapped all the points at which data would be collected, processed, shared and even stored, and at each of these points, I embedded privacy-enforcing safeguards such as consent management, clear privacy policies, secure data entry, data anonymisation and so on. I was also very much guided by local and global regulations that I combined complementarily to ensure the global standard compliance of the product.

Your work involves engaging cross-functional teams, from engineers to policymakers. How do you navigate the challenges of bridging the technical and policy worlds to achieve meaningful integration of compliance and innovation?

I like to think of every role I take as a leadership role. And a leader’s true superpower is being able to work with a diversity of people to achieve the same goal. That’s really how I navigate working with cross-functional teams. As long as we have the same goal – to build a functional product that either drives profit or impact (or both!), then we can work together. Ethics and compliance are key elements in the success of a product, so the success of my work with engineering teams is typically reliant on how well I am able to communicate this. With policymakers, my experience has been that strategic alignment with their goals whilst also helping them understand what is possible and what isn’t – technically – will yield much progress.

With the rapid evolution of AI and digital platforms, what do you see as the most pressing ethical concerns in technology today, and how can companies proactively address them?

Currently, some of the ongoing concerns around the development and use of AI have graduated into actual harm. For instance, when you think about the concern of an increase in emotional dependency on artificial intelligence, we have an unfortunate real-world example of a 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III. Or when we think of the concern around information integrity, we have the chilling example of the false sexual harassment accusation by ChatGPT for a real American law professor.

I think the most pressing ethical concern is transparency and accountability in algorithmic decision-making. I believe that users need to understand how AI-driven decisions are made especially for high-impact fields like healthcare and recruitment. As a product person, I recommend that a good way to address this concern is really to develop explainable AI models and clear documentation which should also include periodic user insights into decision-making processes.

You’ve participated in global forums and consultations. How do you ensure your contributions effectively influence policies and drive actionable change in the international regulatory space?

I am a big collaboration fan and I continue to preach that leveraging strategic alliances and networks will drive better change. In my consultations and engagement in global forums across the world, I ensure not only to focus on the data and stories (which are very important), but also actively create and even join collaborative endeavours with key decision makers. That’s how my suggestions and recommendations can become actionable.

Lawbrella and Zeroth Cloud are impactful projects addressing image-based abuse and at-risk communities. Can you elaborate on the specific challenges these platforms address and the measurable impact they’ve had so far?

Definitely. These two products are quite dear to my heart.

Lawbrella is a non-profit platform that connects victims of technology-facilitated image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) (which is more colloquially known as ‘revenge porn’) to free legal support. A lot of people do not know how prevalent and devastating IBSA is especially on young girls in Nigeria. A lot of intimate images are circulating without the consent of the image bearer on our social media spaces, in private WhatsApp and Telegram groups and are driving a lot of young ladies into depression, seclusion and even suicide. With Lawbrella, my co-founder and I, together with our team are helping survivors navigate Nigeria’s complex legal system, and providing them with competent legal representation. We have secured a partnership with one of Nigeria’s largest digital rights lawyers networks – the Digital Rights Lawyers Initiative and have trained a number of lawyers on a trauma-informed approach to legal support for survivors. We have received and are managing some cases and are continuing to prioritise the support and privacy of our survivors.

Zeroth Cloud is a little more technical and I’m proud to be working with the team at Resilience Technologies to provide real-time threat intelligence and incident response to civil society organisations and at-risk groups. Zeroth Cloud leverages open-source technologies and artificial intelligence to automate the entire lifecycle of threat management including prevention, detection and response with minimal human interaction. We have successfully conducted our initial test phase and have just launched this product that I am proud of. Currently, we have over 30 organisations on our waitlist and we are gearing up to serve our community.

In your experience, what are the key elements that contribute to building and maintaining long-term user trust in technology products, especially in regions like Africa with unique socio-economic challenges?

For me, two things. Clarity and relevance. User-centred product development for African would require very clear communication to help users manage their expectations especially where money is involved. Take, for instance, loan apps and the ongoing “pandemic of embarrassment” for debtors. While I have many privacy and data-related grievances against a lot of loan products in Africa, I believe that one of the root problems on the end of the tech companies is a lack of clear communication.

Users often do not fully understand what their contractual relationship entails, what data is collected and how it will be used. Companies must prioritise, for instance, simple privacy policies that are easily understandable and accessible, transparent fee structures and timelines as well as repercussions of loan default. On the other hand, relevance is just as important. To build trustworthy tech products for Africans, you need to do your homework. Research and assessments will help you figure out contextually relevant pre-existing trust barriers and help you develop your features and product with that in mind. As I like to say, the best products are the ones that not only solve real problems but earn real trust.

As a policy advocate, how do you balance the interests of technology companies with the need to protect human rights and ensure inclusivity in product development?

I’ll be honest that it can be tough because the conversation around human rights can seem like a clog in the fast-moving wheels of innovation. Tech companies and tech people just want to create magic and make a profit. Or at least, that’s the general assumption. For me, it’s a combination of strategies – I always jump at any opportunity to engage in constructive discussions with stakeholders, to educate tech companies and to better understand what their goals are. Sometimes, I find that it’s not that technology companies disregard human rights but that they often struggle with how to navigate them That’s why I always want to support tech companies as well as policymakers to work together for the benefit of their users.

You’ve spoken at renowned forums like Mozilla Festival and RightsCon. What do you aim to achieve through these platforms, and how do you tailor your message to resonate with diverse audiences?

My primary aim when I have the opportunity to speak at global forums is really to drive actionable outcomes. I always want talk to translate into action. But secondarily, I truly enjoy sharpening my mind with the perspectives of other global leaders as well as leveraging these opportunities to improve the global awareness of opportunities for technology in Africa.

What emerging trends or challenges in the intersection of technology, law, and human rights excite or concern you the most, and how do you see your work evolving to address them?

Interestingly, I have been thinking a lot more about alternate realities and the products that would thrive ethically in those ecosystems. I think data and privacy rights would be impacted at an unprecedented level and we stakeholders need to start having that conversation. For me, I am constantly pushing the boundaries of what I know so that I can remain relevant not only to technology companies building these products but also as a policy leader to cure the regulatory gap that exists.