Ensure your Newsgroup is zero-tolerant of child sexual abuse imagery with Newsgroup Services from the IWF.
The criminals who share images of children being sexually abused have historically exploited legitimate newsgroups to ply their hideous trade. It’s a method they continue to use. They discuss, view and share pictures and videos showing the suffering of youngsters on these platforms. Sometimes they even profit from this cruel exploitation.
IWF’s Newsgroup Services are lists and notifications of confirmed child sexual abuse imagery that’s being hosted on newsgroup (internet discussion group) services. We provide our Members with a list of this illegal imagery. This means that hosts can take down any known criminal imagery that’s being hosted on their platform.
It allows them to protect customers and staff from accidently stumbling on seriously disturbing pictures. It allows them to give survivors of abuse peace of mind, knowing any record of their suffering is being removed from newsgroups.
Our team of expert analysts have a systematic process for monitoring newsgroups. They issue Takedown Notices for individual postings where they’ve identified child sexual abuse. From our experience, we know that just one newsgroup can contain, or lead to, tens of thousands of criminal images and videos. Each one of the victims in these pictures is a real child. Each time the image is shared, that child’s exploitation is intensified.
The potential for abuse is vast. But our Newsgroup Services have proven incredibly successful in tackling this hideous crime.
