Internet Watch Foundation

In October 1996 the IWF received the first ever report to its internet ‘hotline’.

 

This week, 9 years on, the number of reports has just hit 100,000.

 

Each year has seen a steady increase in the number of reports since the IWF has increased awareness of its service and since the public have wanted to speak out and complain about this abhorrent content on the net.

 

In its first year of operation, the hotline processed just over a 1,000 reports.

 

In 2005, we expect to have assessed around 24,000 in the 12 month period.

 

 

The proliferation of indecent images of children being sexually abused has been a concern for many years. Whilst such images have, unfortunately, always existed, internet technologies have, without doubt, allowed a far wider dissemination of this type of content across the world.

 

The hotline was set up as a free public service to give internet users in the UK somewhere to register their objection to exposure to obscene and illegal images of children whilst using the web and to protect UK ISP services from being abused through the posting and hosting of these images.

 

The hotline allows individuals to report websites which contain what they believe to be illegal content in accordance with the IWF remit. The specially trained IWF hotline analysts then assess the material and where relevant, work with the ISPs and police to have the content removed and any suspects traced.

 

In 1997 18% of illegal content of this nature appeared hosted in the UK.

 

By working with the ISPs, Government and Police the IWF has developed an effective partnership and model of self regulation which has led to this percentage being reduced to less than 1% by the end of 2003 and this has been maintained for nearly two years now.

 

The IWF are able to provide this free service and maintain their operations via a grant from the EU and from the annual funding of nearly 60 companies within the internet & mobile industry in the UK.

 

Justin Fielder, Business Development Director of Easynet, one of the founding members of the Foundation, explained why the IWF, which effectively acts as an honest broker intermediary between the internet industry and the legal authorities, plays such a vital role.

 

“The world-wide network that is the internet is not proactively filtered and monitored. There are also massive problems trying to create a legislative framework that can cross borders, as what is legal in one country may be an offence in another. This is why the IWF organisation is so vital as it can bridge the gap between international law enforcement authorities and also its peer groups in nations around the world,”

 

Fielder said.

“It should be supported because fundamentally it is the leading light in how to deal with inappropriate online content.”

 

The self regulatory model, specifically the development of internet ‘hotlines’ is a growing phenomenon; there are now over 20 hotlines across the globe, which are brought together via INHOPE; the Association of Internet Hotline Providers.

 

In 2004, the European Commission proposed further EU action to combat child abuse images, racism and spam on the internet when they announced that new hotlines to allow the public to report illegal internet content were being backed by the European Commission as part of a 4-year programme with a €50m (£34m) planned investment.

 

 

 

 

Illegal images on the net

Don’t ignore them

Report them