‘Self-generated’ child sexual abuse fieldwork findings report by IPPPRI
In collaboration with the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI, formerly PIER), we released a report with the aim of developing an evidence base to inform the design and delivery of a targeted prevention campaign relating to children and young people’s online safety and behaviour.
Safer Internet Day 2024
In partnership with the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC), we proudly took part in Safer Internet Day 2024, the UK’s largest online safety celebration. This year’s theme, ‘Inspiring change? Making a difference, managing influence and navigating change online’, aimed to promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology by children and young people.
Safer Internet Day Symposium 2024
On Safer Internet Day 2024, MPs and peers convened in Parliament to engage with young people, bereaved parents and online safety experts. The event, organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on online safety and social media and its Chair, Vicky Ford MP, highlighted the critical changes needed to enhance online safety.
Trailblazing new partnership to combat domain hopping
In partnership with Public Interest Registry (PIR), we expanded the use of our Domain Alerts and TLD Hopping List to combat the exploitation of domain hopping used by criminals to share child sexual abuse material online. This collaboration tripled the number of registries using our tools, offering protection to nearly 38 million domains worldwide.
IWF and NSPCC call on tech platforms to safeguard children amid rise in sextortion reports
After an eightfold increase in sextortion reports, the IWF and NSPCC called on tech platforms to better protect children online amid fears the introduction of end-to-end encryption may inhibit child protection measures already in place.
New International Reporting Portal launch
In collaboration with the National Child Protection Authority, Save the Children Sri Lanka, and ChildFund Sri Lanka, President Ranil Wickremesinghe launched the Sri Lanka IWF Reporting Portal. Accessible in Sinhalese, Tamil and English, the Reporting Portal gives Sri Lanka’s population of approximately 22 million people a secure and anonymous way to report child sexual abuse material found online.
Symposium on Combatting AI Child Porn Online in Tokyo
In collaboration with Child Fund Japan, we travelled to Tokyo for the Symposium on Combatting AI Child Porn* Online to talk to the media and policy makers about the impact of generative AI on the production of child sexual abuse material. Together, we called on the Japanese Government to amend policy and make AI-generated child sexual abuse illegal.
*Please note that, although the event name refers to ‘child porn’, we are campaigning to end the use of this term. It implies consent, but a child cannot be complicit in their own abuse.
Standard of good practice for the adult industry
We announced the publication of a standard of good practice for the adult sector to set out how the adult industry can help create a ‘zero tolerance’ environment for child sexual abuse imagery. The standard was created under the guidance of an expert advisory board, over 18 months, following a strategic partnership between the IWF and Aylo, parent company of Pornhub.
The Lead Reviewer of the Independent Pornography Review, Baroness Bertin, visited our offices alongside her team to learn about the standard and our work to eradicate child sexual abuse material online.
Winners at the Excellence in Online Protection Awards
Hotline Director Chris Hughes received the ‘Operational Impact Award’ at the inaugural Excellence in Online Protection Awards for his pioneering work in transforming the categorisation of online child sexual abuse imagery through our bespoke IntelliGrade hash grading system.
Former CEO Susie Hargreaves was also honoured with the ‘Inspirational Leadership Award’ for her invaluable contribution in her role at the IWF and continued dedication to creating a world free from child sexual abuse.
APPG to address Ofcom’s draft Codes of Practice
Ofcom Directors Mark Bunting and Almudena Lara presented the draft Protection of Children Codes of Practice to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on online safety and social media, for which we serve as Secretariat. The session, attended by more than 20 MPs and Peers, facilitated in-depth discussions on Ofcom’s approach to enhancing online child safety.
New campaign tackling ‘self-generated' child sexual abuse
We launched the fifth phase of our campaign to tackle the rise in ‘self-generated’ child sexual abuse, Think Before You Share. The campaign aimed to highlight the danger of sharing nude images online and focused on helping young people make informed decisions as well as seeking to educate and empower parents, carers and educators to engage in timely conversations around the topic.
Strengthening collaboration in AI sector
Stability AI became the first AI service provider to enrol in IWF membership. Through this partnership, Stability AI have access to a suite of cutting-edge tools developed to prevent the spread of child sexual abuse imagery, paving the way forward for others in this sector seeking to prioritise child safety online.
AI report update
We published an updated report on AI-generated child sexual abuse, evaluating the change since our first report in October 2023. As well as noting a significant increase in criminal content on dark web forums, the report detailed the emergence of AI-generated videos and the use of AI models trained to create images of specific children.
Move for a Safer Internet
Pinsent Masons embarked on the second year of their Move for a Safer Internet Challenge, when teams compete against one another to generate the longest time spent active over the course of a month. Through this initiative, our partners were able to raise £22,600 in funds and spread vital awareness about our mission.
Labour Digital Panel at Labour Party Conference
Our Chair, Catherine Brown, was joined by Dan Aldridge, MP for Weston-Super-Mare; Steve Race, MP for Exeter; and Brittany Smith, Head of UK Policy at OpenAI, to discuss how can we combat emerging risks presented by new technologies.
Local donation to support our safety campaign
We received a donation of more than £12,000 from Qualcomm Technologies International, based in Cambridge, towards our 'Think Before You Share' campaign. This vital contribution enabled us to produce a suite of resources for teachers to support education around the sharing of nude images. The donation underscores the critical role that local organisations play in supporting charities dedicated to safeguarding children online.
Emergency Services Show 2024
Alongside our partners at the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI) and the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), we took part in the Emergency Services Show to present our campaign 'Think Before You Share' and to discuss how a partnership with policing is helping young people stay safe online.
Local MP visits the IWF office
The Liberal Democrat MP for South Cambridgeshire, Pippa Heylings, visited the IWF offices to meet with our analysts and learn more about our vital mission.
International Judicial Police Forum in Cambodia
Hotline Director, Chris Hughes, shared experience and knowledge alongside other international experts at the International Judicial Police Forum in Cambodia. The three-day event focused on the use of advanced technology to help tackle the issue of online crimes against children.
Celebrating 20 Years of Partnership with RM Technology
We celebrated two decades of partnership with RM Technology. As the UK’s first internet service provider for schools, RM has used our dataset of URLs at the heart of its product, SafetyNet, allowing the organisation to block access to sites containing child sexual abuse material and help safeguard users from seeing criminal content.
INHOPE Summit 2024
Hotline Director Chris Hughes gave a presentation with Lauren Coffren, the Executive Director of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), on Empowering Youth: Tools for Self-Protection at the INHOPE Summit 2024 and joined global leaders to address public awareness, education and the trade of child sexual abuse material.
Charity partners at the Security Institute Conference
We took part in the Security Institute Annual Conference, an event that brought together the UK’s largest community of security professionals. As the official charity partner for the year, we had a unique opportunity to speak about our critical mission and connect with attendees to raise awareness of our work to combat child sexual abuse.
Finalist at the European Excellence Awards
Think Before You Share, our campaign aimed at helping young people build resilience against ‘self-generated’ child sexual abuse, was crowned finalist for the Disruptive Communications Award at the European Excellence Awards 2024.
New data on AI child sexual abuse material
We published new data on AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery and videos, revealing its growing presence in publicly accessible areas of the internet, increasing the risk of public exposure to this harmful content.
Tech for good: Multichild initiative
Thanks to crucial funding from Nominet, we introduced a Multichild feature to our IntelliGrade system, giving our analysts the unique ability to record information on all the children seen in still images containing child sexual abuse for the first time.
Winners of the Safeguarding Award at the Children and Young People Now Awards 2024
Report Remove, a vital service run in partnership with the NSPCC’s Childline which allows young people to report a sexual image or video of themselves shared online for removal, was announced as the winner of the Safeguarding Award at the Children and Young People Now Awards 2024.
Marie Collins Foundation Keynote Speaker
Communications Director Emma Hardy spoke about ‘the evolving nature of online child sexual abuse’ at the Marie Collins Foundation Annual Conference 2024 and joined experts from law enforcement, education and policy to discuss technology-assisted child sexual abuse.
One year anniversary of the Online Safety Act
To commemorate the one year anniversary of the Online Safety Act, the IWF co-hosted a parliamentary event alongside key child protection partners, including the NSPCC, 5Rights Foundation, Molly Rose Foundation and Barnardo’s. The gathering welcomed both returning and newly-elected MPs to discuss future developments of the act.
IWF presents to the Lanzarote Committee
The Lanzarote Committee met at the United Nations in Vienna, where we presented our research report on how AI is being used to generate child sexual abuse images. At the meeting, the State Parties adopted a declaration on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse facilitated by emerging technologies.
IWF MP Ian Sollom visits offices
The Liberal Democrat MP for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, Ian Sollom, visited the IWF offices to meet with our analysts and learn more about our vital mission.
New pilot programme to help small platforms combat child sexual abuse material
Alongside cyber security company Cyacomb, we launched a pilot scheme allowing small platforms to benefit from world-leading tools to block and disrupt the spread of known child sexual abuse material.