A new agreement between Ofcom and the Internet Watch Foundation has strengthened the UK’s commitment to cracking down on online child sexual abuse imagery.
The two organisations signed a new memorandum of understanding in November, which builds on their strong existing relationship and lays the groundwork for how the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) can assist Ofcom in its duties.
As the UK’s online safety regulator, Ofcom’s job is to make sure that sites and apps take appropriate steps to protect people in the UK from illegal content and activity. The spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online causes devastating harm to victims and cracking down on it remains one of Ofcom’s biggest priorities.
The IWF is the largest hotline in Europe dedicated to finding and removing child sexual abuse material from the internet. It is the only non-law enforcement organisation with access to the Government’s secure Child Abuse Image Database (CAID), and has so-far assessed and graded more than two million images from it – ensuring they can be blocked and prevented from being shared in the future.
The IWF’s unique position makes it a crucial partner in the fight against this horrific crime. Its data and insights will continue to support Ofcom’s policy development and provide information and advice on the evolving threat landscape regarding CSAM. The two organisations will work together to drive compliance with the Online Safety Act.
The IWF stands ready to work with companies to help them make platforms as safe as possible and fulfil their obligations under the Act and beyond.
Oliver Griffiths, Ofcom’s Online Safety Group Director, said: “The work the IWF does is invaluable – helping to get millions of sickening child sexual abuse images taken down, and assisting enforcement agencies in their duties.
“But the IWF’s reports also underline the scale of the problem that online platforms need to address. Change is happening, but we need to see much more from tech companies this year and we’ll use our full powers if they fall short.
“The strong partnerships we’ve built with organisations like the IWF play a key part in our work to create a safer life online and hold platforms to account.”
Kerry Smith, Chief Executive of the IWF, said: “The scale of online child sexual abuse imagery online is a disturbing reality which requires a clear and unequivocal response with strong cooperation and cohesion key to turning the tide.
“I am so pleased to have this memorandum of understanding with Ofcom in place. The IWF has such a crucial role to play, and our expertise, knowledge, and data will be central in making sure the Online Safety Act can be enforced fully to keep children safe online.
“This is a major step in making sure the foundations of the UK’s fight against child sexual abuse imagery online remain strong.”
When new duties on platforms came into effect last year under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom immediately launched enforcement action to assess the safety measures being taken by file-sharing services, which are particularly susceptible to being exploited by offenders to distribute CSAM at scale.
As part of this activity, Ofcom has worked closely with law enforcement agencies and other organisations – including the IWF – to identify online services at highest risk of hosting CSAM.
In response to Ofcom’s enforcement action, some services have now deployed perceptual hash-matching technology – a powerful automated tool that can detect and swiftly remove CSAM before it spreads further, which is one of the core safety measures set out in Ofcom’s illegal harms codes of practice.
Other providers have taken steps to prevent people in the UK from accessing their sites. This has significantly reduced the likelihood that people in the UK will be exposed to illegal content on these services.
