Europe remains the world’s largest hoster of child sexual abuse imagery with 62% of known images and videos being traced to a European Union country* in 2021.
We have a powerful sense of mission, with clarity, focus and purpose to our work. Our one single task – beyond all else – is the elimination of child sexual abuse material online.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has launched a deliberately provocative public campaign in Brussels calling on EU citizens and MEPs to back a robust Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR). Titled "The Petition No One Would Sign," the campaign presents a mock petition asking the public to support making it easier for child sexual abuse to spread online — a proposition no one would actually endorse — to highlight the real-world consequences of a weak or delayed CSAR. Launched physically across Brussels, including at Schuman Metro station, and digitally across Europe, the campaign coincides with EU negotiators resuming talks this autumn after four years of stalled progress. The IWF cites a 260-fold rise in AI-generated child sexual abuse videos in 2025 alone. CEO Kerry Smith argues the technology and proposals to protect children already exist — what's missing is political will. The campaign urges citizens to contact their MEPs before the CSAR's temporary legal basis lapses in 2028.
OnlyFans in ‘groundbreaking’ partnership with Internet Watch Foundation - Content platform will share expertise and technical knowledge to help fight the spread of CSAM on the internet.
Tamsin McNally, Hotline Manager at the IWF, appeared live on National BBC Breakfast news to warn about the increasing prevalence of “sextortion” online.