News

New Online Harms measures welcomed as IWF insists children's welfare must always come first

New Online Harms measures welcomed as IWF insists children's welfare must always come first

“Firms must do all they can to keep users, particularly children, safe and to stop any illegal content from spreading on their platforms but the legislation must support them in doing that"

15 December 2020 News
'Eyes of the world very much on Europe' as IWF welcomes progress on child safety measures in Brussels

'Eyes of the world very much on Europe' as IWF welcomes progress on child safety measures in Brussels

“We can not allow Europe to be a safe haven for these criminals who would exploit the worst abuse of vulnerable, innocent children. We are pleased to see some action is being taken"

8 December 2020 News
Praise for IWF Hotline as Government looks to tackle internet grooming

Praise for IWF Hotline as Government looks to tackle internet grooming

Minister praises work to find and remove images and videos of child sexual abuse from the internet, and says new legislation will aim to tackle the issue.

2 December 2020 News
Analyst's ‘hunch’ leads to British schoolgirl’s rescue from online child sexual abuse

Analyst's ‘hunch’ leads to British schoolgirl’s rescue from online child sexual abuse

An IWF analyst’s instincts told him he could act quickly to intervene after he received an anonymous tip off.

9 November 2020 News
IWF has record month as public reports of child sexual abuse surge

IWF has record month as public reports of child sexual abuse surge

IWF analysts have seen accelerating numbers of public reports of child sexual abuse, with more people staying and working from home among contributing factors.

30 October 2020 News
'Game-changing’ chatbot to target people trying to access child sexual abuse online

'Game-changing’ chatbot to target people trying to access child sexual abuse online

The aim is for the new chatbot to “target” users before they actually commit a criminal offence.

14 October 2020 News
IWF Hotline Manager wins Unsung Hero Award for  'profound' contribution to keeping the internet safe

IWF Hotline Manager wins Unsung Hero Award for 'profound' contribution to keeping the internet safe

Chris Hughes leads a team of analysts whose job is to assess images and videos of suspected child sexual abuse to help get them removed from the internet.

12 October 2020 News
Government says new online harms legislation is expected to be ready next year

Government says new online harms legislation is expected to be ready next year

Digital Minister Caroline Dinenage said the welfare of children is central to the Government’s approach on tackling online harms.

8 October 2020 News
‘Disturbing’ rise in videos of children who have been groomed into filming their own abuse

‘Disturbing’ rise in videos of children who have been groomed into filming their own abuse

Videos and images where children have been manipulated into recording their own abuse now make up nearly half of all the material removed from the internet by IWF analysts.

7 October 2020 News
New reporting portal to address ‘critical’ need to keep children safe in Ghana

New reporting portal to address ‘critical’ need to keep children safe in Ghana

The IWF worked with the National Cyber Security Centre in the Ghanaian government, and UNICEF Ghana, to get the vital portal up and running.

1 October 2020 News
‘Vital ally’ joins fight against online child sexual abuse

‘Vital ally’ joins fight against online child sexual abuse

“Over lockdown, children have been online even more and they are all on devices. It is important they know what is going on, and about the possible dangers.”

25 September 2020 News
Gamer’s 24-hour gaming marathon smashes fundraising target

Gamer’s 24-hour gaming marathon smashes fundraising target

Melissa Thompson, who suffered abuse as a child, organised the mammoth gaming session to raise money for the IWF

22 September 2020 News