Using advanced hash-matching technologies, including Microsoft’s PhotoDNA, Videntifier’s Descriptor Hashing and conventional cryptographic hashing, Image Intercept helps organisations take meaningful steps toward compliance with the UK’s Online Safety Act while protecting their platforms from abuse.

Designed for ease of use, Image Intercept integrates seamlessly into existing websites and digital platforms, requiring minimal technical effort. Once deployed, it automatically checks every image and video upload against IWF’s extensive database, instantly identifying and preventing known illegal child sexual abuse content. This helps safeguard users, reduce risk, and prevent the further victimisation of children.

Image Intercept was launched in 2025. It is built to support smaller companies and start ups, particularly platforms and services that host user-generated content or allow image sharing.

The platform has been purposefully designed to scale and incorporate additional datasets over time.

Number of images and videos compared against the IWF hash list in 2025

12,607,541

By the end of 2025 this resulted in 16,339 confirmed hash matches to known child sexual abuse imagery.

Sigurdur Ragnarsson, COO, Videntifier Technologies

Member testimonial

At Videntifier, we build technology to stop harmful content from spreading online. Partnering with the IWF on Image Intercept has been one of the most meaningful applications of that work. Image Intercept takes proven hash-matching technology and makes it accessible to platforms that previously had no practical way to detect known child sexual abuse material. That is a significant step.

The IWF understands what smaller companies need: something that works, integrates easily, and connects them to verified hash databases without the complexity that larger platforms have teams to manage. As a technology partner, we have seen first-hand how the IWF consistently pushes to make child safety tools available to as many platforms as possible, not just the biggest ones. That commitment matters.

As the Image Intercept tool automatically checks every uploaded image and video against the IWF’s extensive database, these figures continue to rise daily.

The number of positive child sexual abuse matches is particularly significant for companies that do not fit within our current membership model. These figures to date demonstrate the effectiveness and value of the solution.

Child sexual abuse image and video matches using Image Intercept

Image matches
Video matches

The proportion of images and videos screened by Image Intercept and confirmed as matches to our criminal hash list will vary depending on the nature of the websites and platforms using the service. Some platforms are predominantly image-based, while others host a higher volume of video content.

Yoann Touati, Owner, Zupimages

Image Intercept user

We have faced situations involving CSAM, leading to service interruptions (suspensions by authorities). While we already had a reactive solution in place, the IWF’s Image Intercept provided a proactive approach: reducing reports and accelerating our protection processes. We are grateful to have discovered their service, which helps secure our users and contributes to a safer internet.

Neil Prowse - IWF Head of Membership

Image Intercept represents a significant step forward in scaling proactive prevention tools across the industry

Image Intercept has the ability to be a game changing service for small and medium size platforms, as well as high risk platforms that don't fit our traditional membership model. It's been designed to help platforms worldwide take meaningful steps in robust trust and safety measures and to comply with increasing regulation to prevent and disrupt child sexual imagery. Regardless of your company's size, we have a solution to support you, so get in touch with us.