Elliptic joins IWF to prevent the financing of child exploitation through cryptocurrencies and blockchain infrastructure

Elliptic, a global leader in digital asset decisioning, has partnered with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to strengthen efforts in preventing the financing of child sexual abuse images and videos through cryptocurrencies and blockchain infrastructure.

This strategic membership will allow Elliptic to integrate IWF’s specialised data on cryptocurrency payment addresses associated with the sexual abuse of children into its blockchain intelligence platform. By doing so, Elliptic improves its ability to help clients identify and prevent transactions linked to child exploitation.

Giuseppe Fersini, Head of Intel at Elliptic, said: “At Elliptic, our goal is to make the crypto industry a safe environment. That includes stopping actors using the system to send or receive profits from child sexual abuse online. Partnering with the IWF helps us protect the most vulnerable. 

"By combining our blockchain intelligence capabilities with IWF's expertise, we can help build a safer digital ecosystem for everyone, while also supporting enforcement efforts worldwide.”

Interim IWF CEO Derek Ray-Hill said: “IWF analysts find images and videos of some of the worst types of child sexual abuse on websites that profit from the sale of this horrific content. By working with us, Elliptic can help to disrupt the spread of this criminal imagery and stop this type of illegal purchasing in its tracks.

“We capture and share payment information displayed on these commercial websites through virtual currency alerts sent directly to our Members. This helps to prevent the misuse of services and enables the identification of payment networks being used globally to sell child sexual abuse imagery, boosting our fight to end child sexual abuse material online.”

This collaboration represents a significant advancement in the proactive identification of illicit financial networks. It not only helps Elliptic's clients protect their platforms from being exploited by criminals but also empowers law enforcement agencies to more effectively trace and disrupt these criminal networks, creating a multiplier effect in the global fight against child exploitation.

Find out more about becoming a Member and the services the IWF can provide here.