We would not expect children to protect themselves from sexual abuse in schools, clubs or youth organisations so why would we adopt such an approach online?
IWF paper sets out how end-to-end encrypted messaging can be protected from child sexual abuse without breaking encryption.
On 3 April, essential child protection systems used by technology companies to detect and remove online child sexual abuse material will become illegal to operate in the EU unless the European Parliament votes to extend the current legal framework. A temporary law allowing voluntary detection is expiring, and political deadlock has stalled a permanent solution. This will create a dangerous legal vacuum that perpetrators are aware of and poised to exploit. Proven tools like hash‑matching - which do not compromise privacy - would be forced offline, enabling millions of known abusive images to resurface. Research shows these systems deter offenders and make access harder; disabling them will reverse this progress. MEPs have one final chance to act by voting for an amendment that preserves protections for children across Europe.
Europe remains the world’s largest hoster of child sexual abuse imagery with 62% of known images and videos being traced to a European Union country* in 2021.
IWF is a steering group member of the European Child Sexual Abuse Legislation Advocacy Group (ECLAG) working to end child sexual abuse both on and offline.
Read the key findings from the 2025 evaluation of IWF International Reporting Portals, covering global reach, impact, challenges and next steps.
EverAI became an IWF Associate Member on 1 April 2026. They support us in our aims to eliminate online child sexual abuse.
EvolveODM, the location based WiFi providers, have become the Internet Watch Foundation’s (IWF) latest Member in its mission to eradicate child sexual abuse imagery online.