World Rugby Referee Ben O’Keeffe Joins Areto Labs as Ambassador to Champion Safer Digital Spaces in Sport
World Rugby referee Ben O'Keeffe has teamed up with Areto Labs as an ambassador, championing the creation of safer and more respectful digital spaces for athletes, fans, and the wider sports world.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Edmonton, Canada – Areto Labs, a Canadian tech company at the forefront of ethical AI and digital safety, is proud to announce Ben O’Keeffe, New Zealand’s internationally renowned World Rugby referee, as its newest brand ambassador.
As Ben prepares to take the field at the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France, he’s stepping into a new kind of leadership role—off the pitch and online. Drawing on his own experiences with social media abuse, Ben has joined forces with Areto Labs to promote healthier digital engagement and advocate for the mental well-being of athletes, referees, and fans.
“Social media has opened incredible opportunities for connection, but it also exposes public figures to targeted abuse,” said O’Keeffe. “After receiving personal threats following the 2023 Super Rugby Final, I knew it was important to speak up—not just for myself, but for the entire officiating community. Partnering with Areto Labs is a way to turn that experience into something constructive.”
Areto Labs uses AI-powered moderation to scan, filter, and manage toxic content on public social media accounts—helping sports brands, media networks, and individuals create safer and more inclusive digital communities.
“Ben is not only a leader on the field, but also a powerful voice for change in how we navigate digital spaces,” said Jacqueline Comer, Founder and Chief Product Officer at Areto Labs. “His honesty, resilience, and global perspective are exactly what’s needed in the conversation about digital harm. We’re proud to have him as part of the Areto family.”
As an Areto ambassador, Ben will lend his voice to public campaigns, share insights from his journey in elite sport, and help push the industry forward in prioritizing digital safety without sacrificing connection or engagement.
To follow Ben O’Keeffe’s journey through the Rugby World Cup and support his mission for more respectful online communities, find him on Instagram @okeeffe.ben now under the protective umbrella of Areto Labs.
About Areto Labs:
Areto Labs is a women-owned Canadian tech company focused on creating safe and welcoming online communities using machine learning to track, moderate and counteract social media abuse. Areto Labs uses cutting edge machine learning to detect online toxicity that falls through the cracks of traditional social media moderation tools. This includes higher sensitivity towards racist, ableist, sexist and anti-2SLGBTQ+ sentiment. Areto’s people-first software approach goes beyond moderation, and counteracts impacts of unwelcome messages including digital wellness checks on the mental health of the real people behind accounts, and “safe to engage” prompts when the software detects opportunities for community-building.
About Areto Software
Areto is an advanced AI content moderation and engagement software tool, empowering organizations to manage their social media with efficiency and control. Acting as an AI agent on autopilot, and powered by bespoke AI models, Areto gives brands, creators and public figures real-time, automated protection against harmful content and fraudulent activity, while optimizing engagement and reducing manual workloads.
Media Contacts:
Kasey Machin, Founder, Chief Operating Officer - kasey@aretolabs.com
Jacqueline Comer, Founder, Chief Product Officer jacqueline@aretolabs.com
