New partnership aims to boost early detection of online grooming and child sexual abuse material

Behavioural detection technology company Tuteliq has joined the fight to stop child sexual abuse online by joining the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) as a Member. 

Tuteliq, which develops technology designed to identify online harms as they unfold using technology which examines how conversations develop over time.  

The company, which was founded in Sweden in 2024, says its technology looks for “changes in power, trust-building sequences and patterns of escalation” which can signal predatory behaviour before a child is harmed. 

Its tools analyse text, voice, image and video content in 27 languages, helping platforms detect grooming, coercive control, online sexual exploitation, bullying, fraud, radicalisation and other threats. 

Tuteliq will now incorporate the IWF’s URL List and Image Hash List to strengthen its detection pipeline.  

The IWF Image Hash List contains unique digital fingerprints of known child sexual abuse images and videos, allowing organisations to detect and block criminal content quickly and accurately. 

Dr Nicola Harding, Criminologist and Chief Scientific Officer at Tuteliq, said: “Protecting children online requires more than identifying harmful content after it has been shared.  

“By analysing how conversations evolve over time rather than scanning individual messages, Tuteliq’s technology identifies grooming, exploitation and coercive behaviour at the earliest possible stage before a child is harmed. 

“IWF membership connects our work to the global infrastructure of child protection and to the verified intelligence that makes intervention meaningful. Tuteliq is proud to contribute behavioural detection expertise to that shared mission and to stand alongside organisations working to eliminate child sexual abuse online.” 

Kerry Smith, Chief Executive of the Internet Watch Foundation, said: “Every day at the IWF, our analysts see the horrific results of online grooming and sexual exploitation. Victims who have been tricked, coerced or blackmailed into sharing sexual imagery of themselves or lured into meeting with their abusers.  

“For survivors, their shame and humiliation extend long after the abuse as the images and videos continue to circulate online.  

“It is essential that the child protection ecosystem looks at prevention and stopping further harm, as well as detection and prosecution. By working with companies like Tuteliq, we can try to ensure that there is a multi-layered approach to safety online. We don’t want any more children to slip through the gaps and Tuteliq can help make that a reality.” 

According to Tuteliq, the most dangerous online interactions often begin with messages which can appear harmless in isolation.  

Grooming is a process of deliberate trust-building, isolation and progressive normalisation, and Tuteliq says their tools work to identify those patterns early so platforms, such as youth-facing applications, gaming studios, sports federations, community platforms and other online services, can intervene sooner. 

The platform operates with zero data retention and is hosted within the European Union. Tuteliq says this makes its service compliant with the EU General Data Protection Regulation.  

The company will also draw on IWF research, policy expertise and sector intelligence to inform ongoing model development and keep its detection capabilities aligned with the evolving threat of online child sexual exploitation. 

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