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    About IWF

    The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is a technology-led, child protection organisation, making the internet a safer place for children and adults across the world. We’re a not-for-profit organisation working closely with police, governments and NGOs globally, who trust our work. We detect, disrupt, remove, and prevent online child sexual abuse material using our expertise and resources as effectively as possible.


    What we do

    Child sexual abuse images and videos are just as much a weapon as a knife.

    We actively search for this imagery and for the past 26 years, we’ve given people a safe place to report it to us, anonymously, now covering 50 countries and 2.6bn people.

    We assess every report we receive. If it shows the sexual abuse of a child, we make sure the image or video is removed from the internet.

    To do this effectively, we develop technology-for-good: We provide bespoke services, products and datasets to our industry Members to prevent the imagery from re-appearing and make it harder for offenders to find and share.

    With 70 dedicated staff, IWF is one of the biggest hotlines for tackling child sexual abuse imagery in the world, and the largest in Europe.

    We care. Our work relies on compassionate and resilient staff members, who are highly trained and carefully looked after.

    How you can support us

    We encourage others to play their part, whether it is reporting to us, funding us, or collaborating on the best technology and research.

    The children in these pictures and videos are real. The suffering captured in this imagery and the knowledge that it could be shared can haunt a victim for life.

    That’s why it’s our mission to remove this material for good. And to show every child there is someone out there who cares enough to help.

     

    Our work is made possible by our 180+ Members and corporate partners, as well as funding support from Nominet, Thorn, the UK Government’s Home Office, the Safe Online Initiative at End Violence and Oak Foundation.