New pilot shows way for smaller platforms to play big part in online safety.
The IWF welcomes the EU political agreement on the recast Child Sexual Abuse Directive, closing critical gaps around AI-generated abuse material.
The IWF Reporting Portal in Tunisia shows the importance of working with multiple partners to efficiently fight against child sexual abuse material.
The Morocco Reporting Portal launched on Safer Internet Day 2021 (9 February), celebrating the international efforts and best practice to make the internet safer for all, and especially for children.
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.
New data released by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) shows almost 20,000 webpages of child sexual abuse imagery in the first half of 2022 included ‘self-generated’ content of 7- to 10-year-old children.
An IWF research study on Category A child sexual abuse images and videos which fit the ‘self-generated’ definition.
‘Vital’ child protection work sees top honour for IWF’s Susie Hargreaves - The NSPCC has made Ms Hargreaves an honorary member of the NSPCC council
Peer39, a leading provider of contextual intelligence for digital advertising, has joined forces with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to help disrupt and demonetise the spread of harmful content online.
DoubleVerify, a leader in digital advertising, has partnered with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to proactively disrupt the spread of child sexual abuse material and make the internet safer for everyone.
From 3 April, the EU will become the only region worldwide without legal certainty allowing technology companies to detect child sexual abuse material online, prompting urgent warnings from child protection experts and global tech organisations. A coalition of 246 civil society groups and major industry players has condemned lawmakers for failing to extend the temporary legal framework that permitted privacy‑preserving detection tools, leaving companies unsure whether safeguarding systems remain lawful. With the EU already hosting the highest concentration of known child sexual abuse material - 62% of confirmed webpages in 2024 - experts warn the situation will worsen, reducing detections, hampering investigations, and emboldening offenders. As the EU’s proposed permanent legislation remains deadlocked, industry leaders and protection advocates stress that immediate action is essential to prevent increased harm to children across Europe and beyond.
On 28 April 2025, the IWF hosted MPs, peers, and staffers in Parliament to discuss the urgent findings of our 2024 Annual Data & Insights Report.