New EU legislation closes critical gaps to criminalise AI-generated abuse material and strengthen survivor protections.
The legal protections that allow companies in the EU to voluntarily detect, find, and remove child sexual abuse material on their platforms are about to expire, as legislative negotiations grind to a halt.
While providing legal certainty is desirable, the IWF says voluntary detection alone is not enough to meet the scale of the child sexual abuse crisis online.
New online safety guidelines need to be more ambitious if the “hopes of a safer internet” are to be realised, the IWF warns.
The UK and US lead the charge in global efforts to combat online child exploitation through stronger safeguards and innovative technologies.
Two years ago, IWF took a conscious and deliberate decision to work with companies which specialise in adult content.
After 13 successful years at the helm of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), Susie Hargreaves OBE is leaving to take up a new opportunity.
The IWF welcomes the Government's commitment to keeping children safe online
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is urging Ministers to act swiftly and ensure world-leading legislation to protect children online is not put at risk by further Government delays.
The IWF says delaying the Online Safety Bill will see more children victimised and sexually abused amid fears the long-awaited legislation is set to suffer another delay.
'With so much up in the air, we must never lose focus on the most vulnerable people in our society.'
The draft legislation aims to make the internet safer, and will establish Ofcom as a statutory regulator to enforce standards on a range of online harms including the availability and spread of child sexual abuse material.