Internet Watch Foundation

IWF member, SurfControl (London: SRF), the world leader in enterprise Web and email filtering, has strengthened its zero tolerance approach to illegal online content by integrating the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) URL database into its consumer parental control software product CyberPatrol. This move provides parents with the most comprehensive protection available against illegal and harmful online content.

 

The IWF works with leading Internet organisations to combat the availability of illegal online material, such as indecent and abusive images of children. Its hotline enables the general public to report any instances of exposure to potentially illegal content. All non-UK hosted Web pages, which cannot be legally challenged or outlawed by the IWF, are passed on to international organisations for action.

 

The IWF URL database contains a list of Web sites that have been assessed by the IWF and confirmed to contain indecent images of children that would be illegal to view in the UK.

 

SurfControl has been working with leading UK law enforcement agencies, including the Abusive Images Unit at Greater Manchester Police (GMP), to help crackdown on paedophile activity on the Internet. The unit currently seizes tens of thousands of illegal child abuse images annually. By using CyberPatrol's technology, GMP have been able to automate the tracking of abusive images of children that are traded within chat rooms, which has directly led to the arrest of more than 100 suspects nationwide.

 

 

According to Russell Chadwick, Vice President of CyberPatrol, the industry has a central role to play in ensuring more is done to tackle the rise in illegal and offensive online content:

"As a leading player in the crackdown on Internet child pornography, our work with GMP has resulted in arrests and a reduction in illegal online content.

 

By adding these new URLs to our CyberPatrol database we are strengthening our commitment to making the 'net a safer place for children to go and one that parents can have continued confidence in. We believe we have an important role to play in helping to eradicate offensive online material and will continue to work proactively with the most relevant organisations, such as the IWF, to work to continually combat these threats."

 

"A true crackdown on illegal online content can only be achieved if those involved in the Internet industry continue to follow the lead of organisations like SurfControl. Content filtering plays a major role in providing Internet users with peace of mind and the industry as a whole must step up its efforts against illegal content to help ensure that people are protected wherever possible." added Tony Fagelman, General Manager at IWF."

 

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