Fake Shop Detector wins Austrian State Prize for Digitalisation

Vienna - 16 May 2024 - The groundbreaking work of the Fake Shop Detector, an AI-based technology in the fight against fraudulent online shops and cybercrime, was awarded the prestigious State Prize for Digitalisation in the "Lifestyle, Youth and e-Sports" category at the 4Gamechangers Festival 2024 in Vienna the day before yesterday evening. The Linz-based technology solution provider X-Net, together with its project partners AIT and ÖIAT, were honoured by State Secretary for Digitalisation Claudia Plakolm for their outstanding performance and commitment to the safety and protection of young consumers in online retail.

The damage caused by fake shops in Austria runs into the millions, with tens of thousands of reports arriving at Watchlist Internet every year. Once payment has been made, the money is often lost. The moment the fraud is discovered, the shops have usually already disappeared again. This makes prevention all the more important: the Fake Shop Detector is a unique and free AI tool for consumers that provides automated protection against online shopping fraud. With over 21,000 features, the system checks suspicious shops, identifies them with almost 100 per cent accuracy and warns users in real time using a traffic light system. The Fake Shop Detector promises and delivers free fraud protection in your own internet browser while respecting your privacy.

"Being able to use artificial intelligence in prevention is immensely important to us at Watchlist Internet. We combine our years of experience in this area with the latest technology. At the heart of this is the ongoing manual quality assurance by our experts," says Louise Beltzung, Head of Research at ÖIAT.

The Fake Shop Detector is the result of close co-operation between the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, the Austrian Institute for Applied Telecommunications (ÖIAT) and X-Net. The project was funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism as part of the KIRAS security research programme. X-Net is an IT service provider for companies of various industries and sizes and supports digitalisation projects, develops independent software and hardware solutions and manages hundreds of company networks. ÖIAT is an independent research organisation with the aim of promoting the competent, safe and responsible use of digital media. AIT, Austria's largest non-university research institution, works on state-of-the-art information and communication technologies at the "Center for Digital Safety & Security".

Helmut Leopold, Head of the Center for Digital Safety & Security at AIT, emphasised the importance of joint efforts in the fight against cybercrime: "The growing threats posed by disinformation, hate speech and fraudulent attacks on the internet require joint efforts to provide digital users with tools and resources to maintain their sovereignty."

The Fake Shop Detector is a highly effective AI-based tool for consumers and online retailers to ensure a secure digital shopping experience. The award of the State Prize for Digitalisation helps to raise public awareness of the threats in e-commerce and demonstrate the ability of trustworthy high-tech AI developments "made in Austria". A special feature of this AI solution is the manual quality assurance, which is carried out on an ongoing basis by experts from Watchlist Internet. This enables the use of transparent and trustworthy AI, which generates significant added value for the Fake Shop Detector as a security-relevant service and is aimed at consumers who are actively protected in this way while shopping online.

Brigitte Bach, Managing Director and Spokesperson of the Management Board, AIT: "With the development of the Fake Shop Detector, AIT has further strengthened its role as a leading research institution in the field of digital security technologies. This project demonstrates our commitment to innovative solutions that are both technologically advanced and socially relevant. We are proud to be making an important contribution to the fight against cybercrime."

The State Prize for Digitalisation

The aim of the State Prize for Digitalisation is to honour outstanding and pioneering achievements from the broad field of Austrian digital products, solutions and processes. This is the fifth time that the State Prize for Digitalisation has been awarded based on the decision of an independent jury. 71 projects were submitted - the best project in each of 6 categories was honoured. The Fake Shop Detector is one of 6 award-winning projects.

"We are extremely pleased about this special recognition, which encourages us to continue driving forward the successful combination of research and development in Austria. Receiving the State Prize for Digitalisation confirms our ongoing efforts to provide consumers with a secure and trustworthy online experience both nationally and beyond Austria's borders," says Nikolaus Dürk, Managing Director of X-Net.

The reasons for the award from the expert jury

Shopping online plays a central role in the lives of young people. Fake shops cause damage running into millions. However, those affected only realise this when the money has already been lost. The Fake Shop Detector offers a new way to prevent fraud in advance based on AI and expert knowledge. It also raises awareness of digital fraud. With each additional validated shop, the system becomes more stable in its decision-making process, making the digital lifestyle more secure.

X-Net

As an IT company with a focus on the common good, X-Net has been developing customised special hardware and software solutions and installing and maintaining IT networks for companies and institutions of all sizes and from all sectors since 1999. X-Net endeavours to anchor sustainability and ecological awareness in all areas of the company and to raise awareness of sustainability through the professional use of open source.  "Sharing" - i.e. making knowledge usable together - and "regionality" are the essential cornerstones of business. In the development of forward-looking and secure IT/OT solutions, X-Net is in active dialogue with research institutions and builds on long-term partnerships. Further information: https://www.x-net.at

Institute for Applied Telecommunications

The ÖIAT is an independent research organisation with the aim of promoting the competent, safe and responsible use of digital media. Its services include awareness-raising initiatives, content development, workshops and lectures, applied research, counselling and arbitration as well as certification. ÖIAT is a member of ACR (Austrian Cooperative Research), the Austrian network of private research institutes that conduct research and development for companies. https://oiat.at/

AIT Austrian Institute of Technology

The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is Austria's largest non-university research institution and a highly specialised research and development partner for industry. At the Center for Digital Safety & Security, more than 200 experts work on state-of-the-art information and communication technologies in order to build and use our systems in a highly secure and reliable manner in the context of comprehensive digitalisation and global networking. This technological expertise is used to address various markets, such as the semiconductor industry, the automotive sector, critical infrastructures such as energy grid and power plant operators, financial markets, as well as the security sector in the context of protecting critical infrastructures, and much more. The centre has a recognised position in national and international innovation programmes and is a formative part of many European industry and research initiatives. Further information: http://www.ait.ac.at/dss

Contact:

AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
Michael W. Mürling
Marketing and Communications
Center for Digital Safety & Security
T +43 (0)50550-4126
michael.muerling@ait.ac.at I www.ait.ac.at