Internet Watch Foundation

Useful Links and Documents

• IWF facilitates the online industry-led blocking of foreign hosted child sexual abuse content. For more information click here.

• Childnet international has developed Chatdanger, a website dedicated to advice on how to avoid the potential dangers on interactive services online like chat, IM, online games, email and on mobiles.
• Thinkuknow has published guidelines on chatroom safety.

• Action for Children supports and speaks out for the most vulnerable children and young people in the UK.
• Barnardo's vision is that the lives of all children and young people should be free from poverty, abuse and discrimination. The organisation is focused on helping the most vulnerable children and young people transform their lives and fulfil their potential.
• Beat Bullying empowers young people to lead anti-bullying campaigns in their schools and local communities.
• Childnet International is a non-profit organisation working with others to help make the internet a great and safe place for children.
• The European NGO Alliance for Child Safety Online (eNACSO) is a network consisting of children’s rights NGOs from across the EU working for a safer online environment for children.
• The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), founded in 1998 and launched by the U.S.-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, works to identify and coordinate a global network of organisations fighting child sexual exploitation and kidnapping.
• The International Save the Children Alliance fights for children's rights. They deliver improvements to children's lives worldwide.
• Kidscape is committed to keeping children safe from abuse, specifically bullying and child sexual abuse. 
• NSPCC is the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.  NSPCC has set up ChildLine which is the UK’s free, confidential helpline for children and young people. Trained counselors are on hand 24 hours a day to provide advice and support by phone and online.

• Get Safe Online is the UK’s national internet security awareness initiative. A joint partnership between the Government, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), as well as public and private sector sponsors from the worlds of technology, communication, retail and finance, the initiative continues to educate, inform and raise awareness of internet security issues to encourage confident, safe use of the internet.
• The Government has published its 'Cyber Crime Strategy' (PDF) which sets out the Government's proposals for tackling cyber crime.
• Police Central e-Crime Unit: This unit has been set up to combat e-crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA): SOCA is an intelligence-led agency with law enforcement powers and harm reduction responsibilities. Harm in this context is the damage caused to people and communities by serious organised crime.

• Childnet International has published a guide for parents, carers and teachers which aims to give essential advice about how young people can get the best out of downloading and sharing music online and via mobile technology in a safe and legal way, as well as providing tips for discussion.
• Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT): FACT's primary purpose is to protect the United Kingdom's film and broadcasting industry against counterfeiting, copyright and trademark infringements.
• Federation Against Software Theft  (FAST): FAST lobby Government for a robust, effective and efficient IP regime in the UK and protect the IP rights of the members as appropriate.
• Internet Enforcement Group (IEG): A cross industry body of internet investigators representing the book publishing, music, games, software, merchandising and film industries. The IEG was established in 2001 to work co-operatively in fighting internet piracy on behalf of its members.
• Plagiarism.org's mission is to help people all over the world prevent plagiarism and restore integrity to written work.

• Counselling Directory provides the public with profiles of counsellors across the UK, detailing the areas of counselling each counsellor offers and the fees they charge. The website also contains information on emotional disorders and statistics.

Cyberbullying

• Anti-bullying Alliance brings together over 50 organisations with the aim of reducing bullying and creating safer environments for children and young people.
• Beat Bullying empowers young people to lead anti-bullying campaigns in their schools and local communities
• ChildLine: NSPCC has set up this website especially designed for children and young people who would like free confidential information on issues such as cyberbullying or abuse.
• The CyberMentors website uses social networking to allow young people at different levels to mentor each other.
  If you register on the CyberMentors website, you are given 'registered user' status, which means you can talk to a highly-trained young CyberMentor and get help straightaway. Most problems can be sorted out within a few conversations. But if you are really very upset, unhappy or perhaps even feeling you want to hurt yourself, our CyberMentors will refer you directly to an experienced counsellor who will be better able to give you the support you need.
• Digizen is a website provided by Childnet International, which supports and showcases young people’s positive social engagement and participation online. The website includes a useful overview of the full Cyberbullying Advice and Guidance produced for schools for the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The site will also host a research project which aims to provide better support information, advice and resources for teachers and  parents around young people’s use of Social Networking Services (SNS).
• DirectGov provides information on cyberbullying on their website.
• Teachernet has published some guidelines on how to tackle cyberbullying in schools.
• Teachtoday is a website launched by the European Commission, in cooperation with leading telecoms and internet companies.

• Nominet is the internet registry for .uk domain names.

• Action Fraud is a national public facing organisation to help tackle fraud in UK. Action Fraud is supported by the National Fraud Authority.
• Bank Safe Online is the UK banking industry's initiative to help online banking customers stay safe online. This site is run by the UK Payments Administration on behalf of its member banks.
• The Metropolitan Police website's Fraud Alert pages have been set up in conjunction with the Economic and Specialist Crime OCU as a resource to assist in combating specific types of fraud, and to prevent people becoming a victim of crime, through the prevention advice and disruption activity.
• The Money Made Clear website has been set up by the Financial Services Authority to protect customers of financial services.
• Trading Standards is running a website where you can report fraud and online scams, this website is called 'Rip off Tip off'.

• The Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) works to protect, promote and provide for the interests of all its members, as well as addressing issues that affect the industry as a whole.
• Kids and Media is a non-profit, charitable organisation which gives information and advice to parents about children’s use of digital media. Their vision is to see children and teenagers using media with safety and awareness.
• The Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) age rating system was established to help European parents make informed decisions on buying computer games. The PEGI rates games according to the age suitability of game, not the level of difficulty.
• Thinkuknow provides safety advice for online games.
• The Video Standards Council (VSC) oversees a Code of Practice designed to promote high standards within the video industry and the computer games industry.

• The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre is the UK's national police centre for protecting young people and children from sexual abuse.
• You should contact your local police if you need immediate assistance.

• The Home Office has published information on different types of hate crime, including how to report hate crime incidents.
• Stop Hate UK is a national charity that provides independent and confidential support to people affected by Hate Crime.

• The Council of Europe has published a number of documents relating to human trafficking.
• The United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) is a multi-agency centre that provides a central point for the development of expertise and cooperation in relation to the trafficking of human beings, working together with other stakeholders from the governmental, non-governmental and inter governmental sectors in the UK and abroad.
• The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) was conceived to promote the global fight on human trafficking, on the basis of international agreements reached at the UN.

International Hotlines

• INHOPE is the International Association of Internet Hotlines. INHOPE represents internet hotlines worldwide, supporting them in their aim to respond to reports of illegal content to make the internet safer. To find the equivalent hotline of the IWF in a specific country click here.

• BBC Webwise is the BBC's beginner's guide to the internet.
• Childnet International is the children's internet charity committed to helping to make the internet a great and safe place for children.
• The European NGO Alliance for Child Safety Online (eNACSO) is a network consisting of children’s rights NGOs from across the EU working for a safer online environment for children.
• e-Victims.org is dedicated to helping victims of e-crime and online incidents.
• The Family Online Safety Institute works to make the online world safer for kids and their families by identifying and promoting best practice, tools and methods in the field of online safety, that also respect free expression.
• Get Safe Online is a joint initiative between HM Government, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and private sector sponsors from the worlds of technology, retail and finance to provide unbiased, user-friendly advice about online safety for consumers and smaller businesses.
• Insafe is a European network of Awareness Centres promoting safe, responsible use of the internet and mobile devices to young people.
• Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue.
• Kids and Media is a non-profit, charitable organisation which gives information and advice to parents about children’s use of digital media. Their vision is to see children and teenagers using media with safety and awareness.
• Know It All is Childnet International's suite of education resources designed to help educate parents, teachers and young people about safe and positive use of the internet.
• The Home Office's Crime Reduction department has published guidelines on how to search the internet safely.
• The Kids Taskforce aims to help every child in Britain learn how to handle risk and lead a safer life. Cartoon characters in the missdorothy.com programme for junior schools and the Watch Over Me soap operas for teenagers ensure that vital safety messages are delivered in an engaging way that speaks to children and young people in their own language.
• The Thinkuknow website is run by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and contains information on internet safety and safe surfing for young people and their carers/teachers.
• The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) brings together organisations from industry, charities and the public sector to work with the Government to deliver the recommendations from Dr Tanya Byron's report - Safer Children in a Digital World
• The UN International Telecommunications Union has published information on many aspects of online safety and protection, including for ISPs, mobile operators and parents.
• IWF has a number of filtering company members. To find out who they are visit: http://www.iwf.org.uk/funding/page.64.htm

Internet Stalking

• The Network for Surviving Stalking provides advice on what to do if you are being stalked and your rights and the law on stalking and harassment.
• Protection against Stalking (formerly The CRT Trust) works jointly with relevant agencies to increase awareness of stalking and harassment to ensure victims receive all the protection and help they need to rebuild their lives and live free of fear.

• Tthe Council of Europe seeks to develop, throughout Europe, common and democratic principles based on the European Convention on Human Rights and other reference texts on the protection of individuals.
• The European Union's Safer Internet Programme brings together stakeholders who can contribute to make the internet safer: it funds a network of NGOs active in the field of child welfare online, a network of law enforcement bodies who exchange information and best practices related to criminal exploitation of the internet in dissemination of child sexual abuse material and a network of researchers who gather information about uses, risks and consequences of online technologies for children's lives.
• UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues.

Legal Issues

• The Crown Prosecution Service's Legal Guidance on Indecent Photographs of Children.
• Directgov has function that allows you to find your nearest local neighbourhood policing team.
• Law on the Web is a website which lets users search for law firms on the internet.
• The Law Society represents solicitors in England and Wales.
• Police Service of Northern Ireland has function that allows you to find your nearest local neighbourhood policing team.
• Protection of Children Act 1978 (England & Wales).
• To find your local police in Scotland click here.
• The IWF assesses content according to levels set out by the Sentencing Guidelines Council, click here to see the levels.

• Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, has a duty to promote media literacy.
• Ofcom's annual Children's Media Literacy Audit provides an overview of media literacy among children and young people and their parents and carers. The report also includes internet audience data which showed that amongst 5-7 year old home internet users, just over a third (37 per cent) visited Facebook in October 2009 (but did not necessarily have a profile).
• Ofcom's report on UK Adults’ Media Literacy.
• Ofcom's report on Adults’ Media Literacy in the Nations.
• Ofcom's report on UK Children’s Media Literacy.
• Ofcom's report on Children’s Media Literacy in the Nations.
• Ofcom has published ‘Switch On!’, a learning resource designed to support education for media literacy, and aimed particularly at professionals teaching or caring for people with learning disabilities.

• The Independent Mobile Classification Body (IMCB) sets a Classification Framework for commercial mobile picture-based content which is now available on many mobile devices. It is the responsibility of content providers to use the Classification Framework and self-classify their own content as 18 where appropriate. Where the content is classified as "18" under the Classification Framework its access will be restricted by the mobile operators until customers have verified their age as 18 or over with their operator.
• The Mobile Broadband Group (MBG) brings together all the UK mobile broadband providers to work across a range of self-regulatory initiatives and public policy issues in the mobile sector. The MBG is a resource for consumers, industry and public bodies to find out about the mobile industry in the UK and the policies of the mobile operators in relation of some of the key issues.

• Ebay Safety Centre

• Directgov has developed a reporting mechanism for members of the public to refer what they believe to be unlawful terrorist material directly to the police for action to be taken for its removal. The reporting from can be found at the bottom of the page: https://reporting.direct.gov.uk/
• The Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Hotline can take reports on suspicious activity, such as terrorist threats.
• The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence has published a strategy for action for countering online radicalisation.

• Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) is an industry association focused on eliminating the identity theft and fraud that result from the growing problem of phishing and email spoofing.
• Bank Safe Online also has a reporting mechanism for financial and banking scams.

• Beat Eating Disorders is a UK charity for people with eating disorders and their families. They are working with internet service providers to stop these websites in the UK.

• Law Centres provide an independent legal advice and representation service. They employ specialists in areas of social welfare law and help individuals and local groups with problems.
• The Equality and Human Rights Commission is a statutory body established under the Equality Act 2006. It is the independent advocate for equality and human rights in Britain. It aims to reduce inequality, eliminate discrimination, strengthen good relations between people, and promote and protect human rights. The Commission enforces equality legislation on age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender status, and encourage compliance with the Human Rights Act and international treaties.

• ICRA, the Internet Content Rating Association, is part of the Family Online Safety Institute, an international, non-profit organisation of internet leaders working to develop a safer internet.

• The Department for Education has published a Staying Safe Survey 2009: Young people and parents' attitudes around accidents, bullying and safety
• EU Kids Online II (2009-11) will design and conduct of a comparable quantitative survey of children's use of online technologies across member states, together with a mapping of parents' experiences, practices and concerns regarding their children's online risk and safety. It is funded by the Eurpean Commission's Safer Internet Plus Programme, coordinated by the London School of Economics and Political Science and guided by international and national policy advisors.
• EU Kids Online I (2006-09) examined European research on cultural, contextual and risk issues in children's safe use of the internet and new media across 21 countries.
• The Home Office has published an independent review into sexualisation of young people
• Ofcom's annual Children's Media Literacy Audit provides an overview of media literacy among children and young people and their parents and carers. The report also includes internet audience data which showed that amongst 5-7 year old home internet users, just over a third (37 per cent) visited Facebook in October 2009 (but did not necessarily have a profile).

• Becta, the government agency leading the national drive to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology throughout learning, has published various publications related to e-safety in schools.
• Every Child Matters has published guidance for safer working practice for adults who work with children and young people.
• Teachtoday provides information and advice for teachers, head teachers, governors and other members of the school workforce about the positive, responsible and safe use of new technologies.
• Teachernet has published guidance written by Childnet International for the Department for Children, Schools and Families about cyberbullying and advise on ways in which school staff can be protected.

Self-regulation

• IWF is a self-regulatory organisation. Click here for more information.
• Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, has published guidelines on self-and co-regulation.

• Spamhaus tracks the internet's spammers, spam gangs and spam services, provides dependable realtime anti-spam protection for internet networks, and works with law enforcement to identify and pursue spammers worldwide.
• The Information Commissioner is responsible for enforcing the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations which prohibit the sending of spam emails.

• PAPYRUS is a UK charity committed to suicide prevention, including the closing down of websites that encourage suicide.

• The All Party Parliamentary Communications Group (apComms) published its report and recommendations from their inquiry on internet traffic: 'Can we keep our hands off the net?' in October 2009
• Children's Charities' Coalition on Internet Safety Digital Manifesto
• Child Sexual Abuse Images - An Analysis of Websites by Cybertip.ca
• Digital Britain Report
• Digital Britain Implementation Plan
• eNACSO, the European NGO Alliance for Child Safety Online, has published their recommendations to the EU, industry, international organisations and other stakeholders on how to create a safer online environment for children and young people: The Right Click
• The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a new Directive on combating sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse images. It follows a previous proposal tabled in 2009. The Directive, if approved, will replace current EU legislation from 2004 (Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA).
• The European Commission has published its Digital Agenda. The aim of the Digital Agenda is to spread the benefits of digital technology to all sectors of society and to help with the EU's economic growth.
• EU Framework Decision on combating the sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of children and child pornography,
  repealing Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA
• European Framework for Safer Mobile Use by Younger Teenagers and Children Implementation Report by PricewaterhouseCoopers
• The Government has published its 'Cyber Crime Strategy' (PDF 591KB) which sets out the Government's proposals for tackling cyber crime.
• Government Procurement Policy: Blocking access to child sexual abuse web pages (PDF 128KB)
• The Home Office's Safeguarding Identity Strategy (PDF 1.21MB)
• INHOPE Brochure
• INHOPE has published an information paper on child sexual abuse material on the internet (PDF 192KB)
• Mobile Broadband Group's UK code of practice for the self-regulation of new forms of content on mobiles
• Ofcom initial assessments of when to adopt self- or co-regulation
• Prague declaration: A new European approach for safer internet for children
• Safer Children in a Digital World: The Report of the Byron Review
• The UK Council for Child Internet Safety: 'Click Clever Click Safe: The First Child Internet Safety Strategy (PDF 2.35MB)
• United Nation's Report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography

• The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is an independent, non-governmental body, which has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912, and videos since the passing of the Video Recordings Act in 1984.

• The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) is a police-led, standalone, multi-agency unit with a UK wide remit for Wildlife Crime.
  

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