Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)

Online safety requires the right tools and expertise. With IWF Membership, your organisation can access specialist solutions to help detect, disrupt and prevent the spread of child sexual abuse imagery online. Demonstrate your commitment to safeguarding, strengthen trust with your users, and help build a safer digital world. Join the IWF today: https://lnkd.in/eU6U682R.

Reporting child sexual abuse imagery is simple, easy and anonymous. The victimisation of a child who has endured sexual abuse doesn’t stop once they have been safeguarded. If images and videos of their abuse have been captured and shared online, they face repeated suffering every time that imagery surfaces. But together, we can prevent this. If you stumble across imagery you suspect may contain child sexual abuse, report it to us at https://lnkd.in/e4WgCB9P.

AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is an escalating threat – and our latest data highlights the speed at which it is growing. Between 1 January and 30 June 2026, IWF analysts assessed more than 6,300 AI-generated images that met the legal definition of child sexual abuse. That is 40% more than the 4,500 images identified during the whole of 2025. These figures underline the urgent need for regulation that keeps pace with advances in AI. Giving evidence to the House of Lords’ Communications and Digital Committee’s inquiry into the implementation and impact of the Online Safety Act, our Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Hannah Swirsky, highlighted a significant gap: AI regulation is largely missing from the Act. The Government must ensure the AI regulatory framework requires companies to: 🔷 Build safety into AI systems from the outset.  🔷 Take meaningful steps to mitigate foreseeable harms.  🔷 Prevent the creation of AI-generated CSAM. As generative AI becomes more powerful and accessible, safety cannot be an afterthought. It must be built into technology from the start. Read more about the IWF’s insights on AI-generated CSAM. Link in the comments.

Keeping children safe from AI image abuse is possible with simple changes. With AI tools becoming more popular, it is always best to check before posting. In partnership with National Crime Agency (NCA) CEOP Education, we've created free, practical guidance to help parents and carers understand the risks and take action with confidence. Read the full guide and share with your networks for awareness. #ChildOnlineSafety #AI #Resource #Parents

Heading to Manila next month for the Global Ministerial on Ending Violence Against Children?   Together with Childlight - Global Child Safety Institute and INHOPE, we will be holding an event on Strengthening System Responses to Technology-Facilitated CSEA on Tuesday 17th November, 1-5 PM.   This satellite event will bring together expertise in global research, online child protection, hotline operations and international law enforcement cooperation to explore how evidence, partnerships and technology can strengthen responses to TF-CSEA.   Register here: https://lnkd.in/efW_C8rv.

Collaboration remains our most powerful catalyst. From global technology firms to international hotlines, law enforcement and child protection organisations, our partners and Members help us reach further and act faster. Together, we share intelligence, shape safety standards and amplify the collective effort needed to make the internet safer for everyone. Learn more at https://www.iwf.org.uk/.

If you have started your Christmas shopping, you could be raising money for the IWF. Sign up at Give as you Live, choose IWF as your cause, and start shopping! Each time you make a purchase, a percentage of what you spend is donated to us - at no cost to you. The money you raise helps us stop, remove, and prevent child sexual abuse imagery online and supports our mission to create a safer interet for all. Visit https://lnkd.in/dueYTwQt to get started.

Someone shared an image of you that shouldn't be online? Hit Reset. The new Hit Reset campaign is helping young people take back control through Report Remove – a service run by NSPCC's Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation. Report Remove is a free, confidential service for young people under 18 in the UK that can help remove nude or sexual images and videos from public websites, including AI-generated images and deepfakes. Help us spread the word. Share with your networks so more young people know support is available. 👉 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ds53xFXZ

“This is more to do with will, and not technical ability.” That was the message from our Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Hannah Swirsky, during evidence to the House of Lords’ Communications and Digital Committee on the implementation and impact of the Online Safety Act. End-to-end encryption should not mean an exemption from foundational child safety measures. Upload prevention is a market-ready approach to detecting known child sexual abuse material (CSAM) before it is shared, including in services that use end-to-end encryption. The IWF believes the primary barrier to implementing safeguards in these environments is not technical capability, but the willingness to act. Privacy-preserving technologies can help protect users while enabling effective safeguards, and solutions already exist. As online services evolve, protecting privacy and protecting children must both remain priorities. Read our explainer on upload prevention and discover how these safeguards can work in practice. Link in the comments.

This week, our CEO Kerry Smith is in the US attending the Global Policy Roundtable hosted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, bringing together international experts, policymakers and regulators to share insights and strengthen collective action.   Kerry is chairing the Regulatory Agencies Panel, featuring representatives from online safety regulators around the world, including:   🔷 Byoung Joon Kim, KCSC 🔷 Arda Gerkens, Autoriteit online Terroristisch en Kinderpornografisch Materiaal 🔷 Filipe Batiwale, Online Safety Commission Fiji 🔷 Michael Tunks, Ofcom 🔷 John Barrett, Coimisiún na Meán An important opportunity to discuss the evolving online safety landscape and how regulators can work together to better protect children globally.