Published: Wed 13 Feb 2019
Canadian company Kik Interactive Inc, known for its cross-platform messenger application for smartphones, has joined the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) membership.
Popular with young adults and teens, Kik Messenger lets users send texts, pictures, GIFs, videos and sketches within the multi-media app, communicating through existing Wi-Fi connections or data plans.
Ontario-based Kik was founded in 2009 by a group of students. At that time, chat between Blackberry, Android and iPhone users wasn't possible, and Kik saw a role in breaking down the barriers to allow devices to talk to each other. By 2016, it had over 300 million users and now offers brand partners new ways to connect with today’s highly mobile young audiences.
With an avowed concern for user security across its community, Kik has an experienced trust and safety team. At the end of 2017, the company announced a multi-million dollar safety initiative and it has a Safety Advisory Board made up of experts on digital childhood development, including a representative from Thorn.
Susie Hargreaves OBE, IWF CEO, said: “By becoming an IWF Member, Kik shows it is serious about trust and safety and wants to take a lead in making its platform a safer place. It has millions of young users, and by implementing services like our Hash List, Kik displays a clear resolve to help protect online communities. We welcome that proactive approach and look forward to working with the company for many years to come.”
The IWF and NSPCC say tech platforms must do more to protect children online as confirmed sextortion cases soar.
A major 18-month trial project has demonstrated a first-of-its-kind chatbot and warning message can reduce the number of online searches that may potentially be indicative of intent to find sexual images of children.
