iQ Global comes on board as new IWF Member

iQ Global, a software and consulting company to the domain name industry, is the latest tech organisation to join the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) as a Member. This commitment to the IWF means that iQ Global can provide its customers who are IWF Members with secure access to a vital IWF tool to protect their customers and staff from accidentally viewing child sexual abuse material online. 

The IWF URL List provides a comprehensive list of webpages with confirmed images and videos of child sexual abuse. All IWF Members can use this list, under licence, so that they can block access to these criminal webpages. While access to the images and videos is blocked, the IWF Hotline works to have the actual picture or video removed from the internet. 

iQ Global will use the URL List to help top level domain registries, leading registrars, hosting providers and others, stop abuse on the Internet. 

Michael Halvorsen, iQ Global Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are extremely proud to partner with the IWF. By integrating their URL lists into our DNS Abuse product, iQ Abuse Manager, we will help our customers prevent people from accessing child sexual abuse content. By working together, we can stop online child sexual abuse.” 

Susie Hargreaves OBE, Chief Executive of the IWF, said: “Keeping the internet safe for children, and others who use it, is a priority for the IWF. By working with IWF Members across the technology industry we can forge partnerships that help us to eradicate child sexual abuse material on the internet. 

“Last year the IWF found a shocking 252,194 URLs that hosted images of children being sexually abused or raped. But that figure doesn’t tell the whole story. Each image is a real child whose suffering continues every time those images are viewed, shared or distributed by offenders online. 

“Accidentally stumbling on one of these terrible images can be traumatic for an ordinary internet user or tech worker. That’s why partnering with technology companies and sharing our URL List is a vital tool in the battle to defend both survivors of abuse, children and all internet users online.” 

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

The public is given this advice when making a report: 

• Do report images and videos of child sexual abuse to the IWF to be removed. Reports to the IWF are anonymous. 
• Do provide the exact URL where child sexual abuse images are located. 
• Don’t report other harmful content – you can find details of other agencies to report to on the IWF’s website. 
• Do report to the police if you are concerned about a child’s welfare, 
• Do report only once for each web address – or URL. Repeat reporting of the same URL isn’t needed and wastes analysts’ time. 

About iQ Global AS 
IQ Global AS (iQ) is a Norwegian-based Cyber Security and Business Intelligence company operated by domain industry veterans. iQ’s services enable an efficient way of making informed decisions and managing CyberCrime at scale. iQ’s vision is to become the industry standard for domain analytics, monitoring and management of Internet-related crime linked to the domain name system.