IWF partners with SS8 to help block access to child sexual abuse imagery

SS8 Networks,  a leader in lawful and location intelligence and monitoring centre platforms, is partnering with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to help remove child sexual abuse material from the internet. As a new Member, SS8 will be allowed to use the IWF’s Hash List in software that is used by law enforcement agencies around the world.

The IWF’s Hash List contains a unique and enriched catalogue of codes or hashes of confirmed child sexual abuse imagery. These ‘digital fingerprints’ are updated daily and manually verified by the IWF’s expert analysts who then share the Hash List with companies, law enforcement agencies and governments who work to block and remove the criminal content.

SS8 will include the Hash List in its Intellego XT product. Intellego XT is an advanced monitoring and analytics platform used by law enforcement agencies to ingest, analyse, and visualise large amounts of data associated with a criminal investigation. During their investigations, agents may discover the presence of child sexual abuse material on a criminal’s device. With the included Hash List, the investigators will be notified of the image’s assigned hash and can take action to have the image removed from its hosting site.

Susie Hargreaves OBE, Chief Executive of the IWF, said: “The partnership with SS8 is another example of how the IWF works with the tech industry and other organisations to help stop the distribution of horrific child sexual abuse imagery online.

“SS8 share in our vision to remove this criminal content and we are pleased that our dynamic Hash List will be made available to their law enforcement clients.”

“At SS8, our goal is to help make societies safer and it is our commitment to provide law enforcement with the intelligence they need to fight crime,” said Dr Keith Bhatia, CEO of SS8 Networks.

“SS8 is proud to partner with IWF and we feel it is important we share this service with as many investigators as possible to further our mutual efforts to remove child sexual abuse images at the source and help protect the survivors of these heinous crimes.”

Find out more about becoming a Member and the services the IWF can provide here https://www.iwf.org.uk/our-services.

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.