OSPREY

Public-facing professionals (PFPs) form the backbone of modern democratic institutions. Yet in recent years, the erosion of democratic values has exposed journalists, judges, elected officials, and others who operate in the public eye, to growing levels of hostility and risk. The visible nature of their work makes them vulnerable to online harms, understood as behaviours in digital environments that may inflict physical, emotional, or reputational damage. With the rapid expansion of AI-driven content generation and manipulation, these threats now extend not only to PFPs themselves but also to their families, whose personal lives can be targeted, amplified, or fabricated at scale.