Internet Watch Foundation

Adrian Dwyer, Hotline Manager of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has been appointed as the Vice President of INHOPE, the Association of Hotline Providers.

 

INHOPE is the International Association of Internet Hotlines, funded through the European Commission's Safer Internet Plus Programme. Through hotlines, the public can report potentially illegal content they stumble across on the internet. Each hotline then reviews each report, referring potentially illegal material onto law enforcement and or notifying ISPs for further action.

Adrian was appointed as the IWF’s first full time Internet Content Analyst in 2001 and was appointed as Hotline Manager in 2006. Adrian joined the IWF after serving 23 years in the Metropolitan Police Force.

Adrian’s election forms one of four new appointments to the INHOPE Board. Ruben Rodriguez from the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was elected as INHOPE President, Frank Ackermann from German hotline ECO, was elected to the position of INHOPE treasurer and Francis Kim from South Korea's KISCOM hotline, was elected to the position of INHOPE Board Member without Portfolio.

 

The new INHOPE Board has the responsibility for the strategic direction and growth of the 28 strong hotline network for the next 12 months. With the increasing popularity of social networking websites and the growth of self generated content this promises to be a period of significant challenge for INHOPE.

 

Peter Robbins, IWF CEO, said: “We are delighted that Adrian’s dedication has been recognised. He has a great deal of knowledge, skills and experience to share with other hotlines as well as contributing to future strategy in taking the INHOPE association forward.”

 

For full INHOPE press release click here.

 

The IWF is the only authorised organisation in the UK operating an internet ‘Hotline’ for the public and IT professionals to report their exposure to potentially illegal content online.

 

Our aim is to minimise the availability of potentially illegal internet content, specifically:

We work in partnership with UK Government departments such as the Home Office and the Department of Trade and Industry 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 funded by the EU and the UK internet industry including internet service providers (ISPs), mobile operators and manufacturers, content service providers (CSPs) and telecommunications & software companies.

 

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.

 

As a result, less than 1% of potentially illegal content is apparently hosted in the UK, down from 18% in 1997.

 

As the number of people using the internet and the diversity of content available continues to grow, the mechanisms for dealing with illegal content must be better known and understood.

 

In partnership with many organisations, we strive to create continued awareness of the role and purpose of the IWF and aim to foster trust and reassurance in the internet for current and future users.

 

Please note that the terms "child pornography" or "child porn" can act 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 abuse images.

 

 

The INHOPE Association exists to facilitate co-operation between Internet Hotline providers.

Its mission is to eliminate child pornography from the Internet and protect young people from harmful and illegal uses of the Internet.

The key functions of the Association are:  

Values

Goals