Success Stories
Also see relevant quotes
2007
The IWF started with just 6 members in 1997 and in 2007 had over 80 members.
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IWF celebrated the first IWF Awareness Day on 24 October which resulted in nearly 300 pieces of media coverage, including 70 radio and TV broadcast features and a 320% increase in visitors to the website on the day of IWF Awareness Day and the day after.
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The IWF received a Nominet’s Best Practice Challenge Special Award for multi-stakeholder cooperation for their exemplary co-operative approach involving industry, charities, police and Government and the outcomes achieved.
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Following a very comprehensive inspection the IWF were ISO27001 accredited in September. The ISO27001 standard is designed to help establish and maintain an effective information management system, using a continual improvement approach. It implements organisation for economic cooperation and development (OECD) principles, governing security of information and network systems.
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The IWF was a finalist in the 2007 National Business Awards, Better Regulation category, a leading programme in recognising excellence in business achievement, innovation and success in the UK.
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IWF’s Ten Year Anniversary Campaign was a finalist in the Marketing Society Awards for Excellence 2007, nominated in the Marketing A Cause (Not For Profit) category.
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IWF Hotline Manager was elected as Vice President of INHOPE, the association of Hotline providers.
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IWF addressed numerous national and international audiences on combating online child sexual abuse content.
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IWF’s model of self regulation and notice and take-down service is seen as best practice in many countries.
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IWF carried out five specific campaigns including a library campaign; a police campaign; an IT professionals campaign; IWF Awareness Day; and ended the Ten Year Anniversary Campaign with conferences in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh.
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2006
14,313 reports processed by the IWF in first 6 months
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IWF reveals 10 year statistics on child abuse content online
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IWF holds ten year anniversary conferences around the country. Nearly 1000 delegates attend the events and hundreds of media articles are generated as a result
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25 Hotlines now operating around the world
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NCMEC, the US Hotline, announces plans to emulate IWF mechanisms by facilitating the blocking of websites containing child abuse content in order minimise the continual re-victimisation of the child victims featured on these websites
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In 1997, the first year the IWF came into operation, 18% of the potentially illegal content assessed by the IWF - almost exclusively child abuse images - was hosted in the UK. At the end of 2005, that figure was just 0.4%.
The reasons for that success are:
- Tough laws that prohibit any form of possession or distribution of child abuse images with strong sanctions for transgression
- A sophisticated system to transfer intelligence and information from the IWF to the Police for them to investigate
- A committed and effective Internet Content Service Provider community who remove any potentially illegal content found on their services immediately when notified
- An informed public who report online if they are exposed to potentially illegal online content
- Continued support of IWF by a diverse range of industry funding members
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The skilled assessment work of the IWF Internet Content Analysts who receive reports via the internet hotline, has contributed to several police investigations and arrests.
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Home Office Minister, Vernon Coaker MP, visits IWF
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IWF in first global 'blogathon' for Safer Internet Day
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The IWF started with just 6 members in 1997 and in 2006 has over 70 members.
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Roger Darlington, former IWF Chair, is a finalist for the ISPA award for Internet Hero
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IWF addresses international Forum on blocking child abuse content online
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2005
23,658 reports processed by the IWF
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Internet Watch Foundation hosts a visit for Home Office and DTI Officials
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Reports processed by IWF reach 100,000
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IWF hosts an Achievements & Champions Online lunch reception in the House of Commons. Over 100 attend
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Week long IWF Corridor Exhibition held in the House of Commons, sponsored by Minister Mike O’Brien and Brian White MP
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IWF launches the Wipe it Out campaign aimed at IT professionals. The ‘Wipe it Out’ campaign was designed to measure and raise awareness of the Sexual Offences Act (SOA) 2003 and the role of the IWF
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IWF Operations Manager elected to Vice-President of INHOPE
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64 Members
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2004
The BT 'Cleanfeed' intiative is launched in June 2004. The project has been developed to prevent BT's UK internet retail customers from accessing websites containing illegal images of child abuse, accidentally or deliberately.
BT only blocks access to URLs listed in the IWF database. These URLs have been confirmed as online areas containing indecent images of children which would be illegal to view in the UK.
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Peter Robbins, CEO, IWF is a member of the Home Office Task Force for the Protection of Children on the Internet. IWF Management team are members of several of the sub-groups of this Task Force.
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The Sex Offences Act 2003 came into force in May 2004 and includes the IWF as the only named relevant authority outside of UK Law Enforcement Agencies, able to receive and assess potentially illegal images.
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The Internet Watch Foundation worked with all the UK Mobile Operators on safety and responsibility issues over the future development of 3rd generation mobile services to develop a 'Code of Practice' recommendations and guidelines for dealing with mobile content services, which was finalised in January 2004.
The IWF provides the same notice and take down procedures for mobile services as we advocate and promote for child abuse and illegal images downloaded via PC’s.
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53 members
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2003
19,553 reports processed by the IWF
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At a special event in June 2003, chaired by Debra Shipley MP, the Association of Payment Clearing Services, formed a new alliance with the IWF and discussed developing initiatives designed to condemn the use of card payment services for the acquisition or transmission of illegal child abuse images over the internet.
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36 Members
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2002
17,868 reports processed by the IWF
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22 members
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2001
11,357 reports processed by the IWF
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On behalf of the Home Office and the Internet Crime Forum, IWF hosts a major conference on the dangers to children using chat rooms
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At the Annual Dinner of the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA), the IWF wins the award for the most “Positive Contribution to the Internet Industry”
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At a conference on telecommunications regulation organised by BT, the IWF wins the award for “the organisation or government department which has implemented regulation in the best interest of the consumer”
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16 members
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2000
8,942 reports processed by the IWF.
Of those reports, websites judged to be potentially illegal and hosted in the UK decreased by 75% on the previous year
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11 Members
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1999
4,297 reports processed the IWF
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IWF is one of the founding organisations of the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) which promotes the self-labeling of websites
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IWF is one of the founding organisations of INHOPE, the association of hotlines throughout Europe
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9 Members
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1998
1,991 reports processed by the IWF
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Online reporting is introduced
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7 members
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1997
1,291 reports processed by the IWF
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1996
The Internet Watch Foundation is launched
Page Created: Fri, September 10th, 2004
Page Modified: Tue, January 22nd, 2008
