IWF Annual Report highlights persistent core of child sexual abuse websites
Organisation calls for international partnerships to be mobilised to take up the challenge
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) Annual Report 2007, published 17 April 2008, reveals new intelligence regarding the scale of publicly available child sexual abuse websites known to the IWF. Whilst it is very rare to trace these websites to the UK, the IWF has identified a core of 2755 websites hosted abroad during 2007; this total number has remained relatively static for three years and represents a concrete target which can be tackled through international partnerships.
This target is characterised by websites, 80% of which are commercial operations, which frequently hop host company and region to avoid detection. These tactics, coupled with the complex multi-national nature of the crimes, mean that only a united global response involving law enforcement authorities, governments and the international online sector will enable effective investigation of these websites, their content and the organisations behind them.
Peter Robbins OBE, QPM, Chief Executive - Internet Watch Foundation
“We believe that speculative figures can create a distorted picture of the scale of the problem of child sexual abuse websites. This year we have highlighted what we believe is a manageable number worldwide of such websites, known to us. We hope that this revelation and the analysis and intelligence behind the numbers will lead to a better understanding of the issue and justify the need for more international partnerships to pool resources and thinking in order to find solutions: a coordinated global attack on these websites could get these horrific images removed from the web and those responsible investigated.”
The IWF tracks and records the movements of child sexual abuse websites to assist investigations and content removal around the world. Less than 1% of child sexual abuse content has been hosted in the UK since 2003 as a result of the IWF’s universal ‘notice and take-down’ arrangements with host companies and internet service providers in this country. In response to such content hosted around the world, the IWF’s provision of a list of child sexual abuse websites hosted abroad to online companies enables blocking measures to be deployed to protect UK internet users from accidental exposure. The IWF model relies on self-regulation and such success has been achieved through a partnership approach with funding and support from the online industry.
Recommendations
- A worldwide public/private partnership to investigate, disrupt and remove websites that hop server and region and identification of the distributors of this content;
- Increased sharing of good practice between INHOPE Hotlines and industry to remove content quickly to ensure the longevity of these websites is diminished;
- Wider adoption of an initiative to protect internet users by blocking access to child sexual abuse websites;
- International effort by domain name registries and relevant authorities to de-register domains associated with child sexual abuse.
Please note that "child pornography" and "child porn" are not acceptable terms. The use of such language acts to legitimise images which are not pornography, rather, they are permanent records of children being sexually abused and, as such, should be referred to as child sexual abuse images.
-ends-
Notes to Editors
Sharing the IWF model in the UK and abroad
- IWF contributes to many European and international consultations, briefings and summits
- EU and US Congress recommendations reference elements of IWF model
- IWF shared its approach during 2007 with many international organisations including the Council of Europe, the United Nations, the Internet Governance Forum in Rio and delegations from many countries including China, US, South Africa, Japan, Portugal, France, Hungary and Russia
Blocking
Advantages of the blocking initiative protecting internet users from inadvertent access to child sexual abuse images
- Reduce the occasions when innocent internet users might be exposed to traumatic and unlawful images.
- Diminish the re-victimisation of children caused by restricting opportunities to view their sexual abuse.
- Disrupt the accessibility and supply of such content to those who may seek out such images.
- Disrupt the dissemination of images to UK internet users for commercial gain by criminal organisations.
Arrests and police intelligence
During 2007, the IWF provided evidence supporting the successful prosecution of seven child sexual offenders and provided 13 evidential statements for ongoing UK police enquiries. A further 17 reports from us, prior to 2007, are still under investigation. In a particularly noteworthy case, IWF intelligence to its US Hotline counterpart led to the rescue of three prepubescent children being sexually abused and their abuser being sentenced to 60 years in prison.
INHOPE
The IWF is a member of INHOPE (www.inhope.org), the Association of Internet Hotlines. Today, there are 30 members of INHOPE worldwide, including members from Europe, Asia, North America and Australia.
In support
Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister
“The UK has one of the most effective approaches in the world for protecting children on the internet. As part of this approach, the Internet Watch Foundation has been responsible for tackling child sexual abuse images on the internet. Their work, in partnership with the online sector, Government, police and charities is helping to eradicate such content from UK networks.”
Vernon Coaker MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Crime Reduction
“Once again, I welcome with great interest the Internet Watch Foundation's Annual Report. Not only does it evidence a continuation of the UK's exemplary record in combating child sexual abuse content hosted on networks in this country but it also reveals the organisation's work to raise public awareness of their 'Hotline' has had a tangible effect on the public's willingness to report their inadvertent exposure to suspicious online content.
“I have been impressed during 2007 by the efforts of the UK internet industry in raising the bar in online safety and I am particularly encouraged by indications that their commitment to voluntarily block their customers' access to sexually abusive images of children online is already leading to less content reported to the 'Hotline' being confirmed as child sexual abuse. Around 95 per cent of those with residential broadband connections in the UK are now protected in this way and I commend this and other positive steps taken by many companies, in conjunction with the Internet Watch Foundation, to better protect internet users, and internet services, from abuse.
“It is the continuing work of the Internet Watch Foundation and particularly its partnership with industry and law enforcement that has had a very real effect in minimising the re-victimisation of the children who have suffered horrendous abuse.”
Jim Gamble QPM, Chief Executive, Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre
“The partnership between the CEOP Centre and the Internet Watch Foundation is crucial, tackling as it does the specific issue of child sexual abuse material on the internet. The IWF’s successful work in virtually eradicating this content from UK networks is outstanding and their relationships with Hotlines around the world allows CEOP to focus on investigating those behind the distribution of such materials and safeguarding the victims of these horrific images. That is true partnership in action.”
Contact
For interviews or further information please contact:
Bill McIntyre or Vicki Harding, iris PR t: 020 7654 7987/020 7694 7926, e: info@iris-pr.com
Sarah Robertson, IWF Communications, t: 01223 237700, m: 07929 553 679, e: sarah@iwf.org.uk
About the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)
The IWF is the only recognised organisation in the UK operating an internet ‘Hotline’ for the public and IT professionals to report their exposure to potentially illegal content online specifically:
- child sexual abuse images hosted anywhere in the world
- criminally obscene content hosted in the UK
- incitement to racial hatred content hosted in the UK
We work in partnership with UK Government departments such as the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to influence initiatives and programmes developed to combat online abuse. This dialogue goes beyond the UK and Europe, to ensure greater awareness of global issues and responsibilities.
We are a self-regulatory body, funded by the EU and the wider online industry, including internet service providers (ISPs), mobile operators and manufacturers, content service providers, telecommunications and filtering companies, search providers and the financial sector as well as blue-chip and other organisations who support us for corporate social responsibility reasons.
Through the ‘Hotline’ reporting system, we help ISPs to combat abuse of their services through a ‘notice and take-down’ service by alerting them to any potentially illegal content on their systems and simultaneously inviting the police to investigate the publisher.
Created: Thu, April 17th, 2008 | Last Modified: Fri, April 18th, 2008
