The Annual Report 2022
#BehindTheScreens
A deep dive into the digital and social emergency happening #BehindTheScreens, in children’s bedrooms. Internet Watch Foundation
Introduction..................................................................................................................3 Welcome........................................................................................................4 AboutIWF.....................................................................................................................4 2022Highlights............................................................................................................6 WelcomefromourChair.............................................................................................14 WelcomefromourCEO..............................................................................................17 EuropeanCommissionerforHomeAffairs,YlvaJohansson.....................................20 MinisterforSafeguarding,SarahDinesMP................................................................21 SecretaryofStateforScience,InnovationandTechnology,TheRtHonMichelle DonelanMP.................................................................................................................23 OurroleintheUKSaferInternetCentre....................................................................25 TrendsandData...........................................................................................27 OurHotlineDirector:Childrendeservemore............................................................27 Reportsanalysis.........................................................................................................29 Ourquality-assuredhashdata...................................................................................33 Analysisbyage...........................................................................................................36 Analysisbysex...........................................................................................................45 Reportremove............................................................................................................50 'Self-generated'childsexabuse................................................................................54 Geographicalhosting:URLs.......................................................................................67 Geographicalhosting:Domains.................................................................................72 Domainanalysis..........................................................................................................75 Top-leveldomainhopping..........................................................................................80 Sitetypes....................................................................................................................83 Commercialcontent...................................................................................................85 ICAPsites....................................................................................................................87 Darkwebreports........................................................................................................88 Commercialdarkwebreports....................................................................................89 Commercialdisguisedwebsites.................................................................................90 UKhostedchildsexualabuseimagery......................................................................91 Non-photographicchildsexualabuse.......................................................................93 IWFURLList...............................................................................................................94 CaseStudies.................................................................................................95 WhatitisliketoleadtheIWFHotline........................................................................95 Forums........................................................................................................................96
Contents
Internet Watch Foundation 1
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF
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OperationMakedom.................................................................................................112 CategoryAchildsexualabusematerialofa‘self-generated’nature.....................114 TechR&D....................................................................................................122 Harnessinginnovativetechtoadvanceourmission..............................................122 IWFCAIDTaskforce.................................................................................................124 NominetFundforCounteringOnlineHarm............................................................126 ReThinkChatbot.......................................................................................................127 Gettingtogripswithgridimages.............................................................................129 MachinelearningwithSafeToNet............................................................................134 OurroleintheSafetyTechChallenge......................................................................135 Ourworkwiththeadultsector.................................................................................137 Welfare.......................................................................................................138 WelfareatIWF..........................................................................................................138 Whatwelfaremeanstome.......................................................................................140 Professionalmentalhealthsupport.........................................................................142 Providingsupportacrosstheorganisation..............................................................145 Hotlineaudit.............................................................................................................147 Policy..........................................................................................................148 PolicyinUK...............................................................................................................148 PolicyinEurope........................................................................................................157 Members&partners...................................................................................163 OurMembers&partners..........................................................................................163 OurMembers............................................................................................................165 IWFreportingportals...............................................................................................182 Charityoftheyear....................................................................................................184 Cryptocurrencyunit..................................................................................................187 Glossary.....................................................................................................189
(j)IWF Internet Watch Foundation 2
The Annual Report 2022
Everyoneandahalfminutes,IWFanalystsassessawebpage.Everytwo minutes,thatwebpageshowsachildbeingsexuallyabused.
Ifsomeonethinksthey’veseenasexualimageofachildonline,theycan reporttousatiwf.org.uk,orthroughoneof50portalsincountriesaroundthe world,covering2.6bnpeople.
Weassesseveryreportwereceive.Ifitshowsthesexualabuseofachild,we makesuretheimageorvideoisremovedfromtheinternet.Andweprovide bespokeservicesanddatasetstoourindustryMemberstopreventtheimagery fromre-appearingandmakeitharderforoffenderstofindandshare.
With70dedicatedstaff,IWFisoneofthebiggesthotlinesfortacklingchild sexualabuseimageryintheworld,andthelargestinEurope.
Ourworkismadepossiblebyour180+Membersandcorporatepartners,as wellasfundingsupportfromNominet,Thorn,theUKGovernment’sHome Office,theSafeOnlineInitiativeatEndViolenceandOakFoundation.
In2022:
375,230reportswereassessedbyIWF(+4%on2021)
255,588reportswereconfirmedascontainingchildsexualabuseimagery, havinglinkstotheimagery,oradvertisingit(+1%on2021).Thesereports areofwebsitesandnewsgroups.
Totalnumberofactionedreportsthatweretaggedasincludingselfgeneratedcontentwas199,363(+9%on2021whichwas182,281).
Therewasa13percentagepointincrease(from23%to36%)insexual abuseimageryof7-10yearolds,(regardlessofhowitwascreated)anda 10percentagepointdecrease(68%to58%)insexualimageryof11-13 yearoldscomparedtotheyearbefore.However,imageryof11-13sisstill themostprevalent.
Wecurated1,663,106quality-assuredhashes–ordigitalfingerprints–of uniquechildsexualabuseimages.
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF Introduction Internet Watch Foundation 3
About IWF
TheInternetWatchFoundation(IWF)isatechnology-led,childprotection organisation,makingtheinternetasaferplaceforchildrenandadultsacross theworld.We’reanot-for-profitorganisationworkingcloselywithpolice, governmentsandNGOsglobally,whotrustourwork.Wedetect,disrupt, remove,andpreventonlinechildsexualabusematerialusingourexpertise andresourcesaseffectivelyaspossible.
Whatwedo
Childsexualabuseimagesandvideosarejustasmuchaweaponasaknife. Weactivelysearchforthisimageryandforthepast26years,we’vegiven peopleasafeplacetoreportittous,anonymously,nowcovering50portalsin countriesand2.6bnpeople.
Weassesseveryreportwereceive.Ifitshowsthesexualabuseofachild,we makesuretheimageorvideoisremovedfromtheinternet.
Todothiseffectively,wedeveloptechnology-for-good:Weprovidebespoke services,productsanddatasetstoourindustryMemberstopreventthe imageryfromre-appearingandmakeitharderforoffenderstofindandshare.
Welcome
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With70dedicatedstaff,IWFisoneofthebiggesthotlinesfortacklingchild sexualabuseimageryintheworld,andthelargestinEurope.
Wecare.Ourworkreliesoncompassionateandresilientstaffmembers,who arehighlytrainedandcarefullylookedafter.
Howyoucansupportus
Weencourageotherstoplaytheirpart,whetheritisreportingtous,funding us,orcollaboratingonthebesttechnologyandresearch.
Thechildreninthesepicturesandvideosarereal.Thesufferingcapturedin thisimageryandtheknowledgethatitcouldbesharedcanhauntavictimfor life.
That’swhyit’sourmissiontoremovethismaterialforgood.Andtoshowevery childthereissomeoneouttherewhocaresenoughtohelp.
Ourworkismadepossiblebyour180+Membersandcorporatepartners,as wellasfundingsupportfromNominet,Thorn,theUKGovernment’sHomeOffice, theSafeOnlineInitiativeatEndViolenceandOakFoundation.
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The Annual Report 2022
2022 Highlights
•
SaferInternetDay2022celebration
AlongwithpartnersattheUKSaferInternetCentre,weproudlytookpartin theglobalcelebrationofSaferInternetDay2022,whichpromotesthesafe andpositiveuseofdigitaltechnologyforchildrenandyoungpeople.The themewas‘Allfunandgames?Exploringrespectandrelationshipsonline’.
March
PreventioncampaignforchildrenwithSEND
Childrenwithspecialeducationalneedsordisabilities(SEND)arethreetimes morelikelytoexperiencesexualabuseonline.That’swhywelauncheda campaigntohelpthesechildrenandtheirparentsunderstandmoreaboutthis crimeandhowtheycanbetterprotectthemselves.Readourarticle.
Safer Internet Tuesday Day
8 February ..... &OOJRl• ~D G~MES
February
2022
Exploring respect and relationships online
Internet Watch Foundation (i)IWF 6
£+
IWF’s25thanniversary
Inour25yearsofservice,ourexpertanalystshaveassessedovertwomillion reportsofchildsexualabuseandhelpedtoremovemillionsofchildsexual abuseimagesandvideosfromtheinternet.TogetherwithourMembers, partners,lawenforcementandgovernmentofficials,we’vehelpedsave countlesschildrenfromalifetimeofrevictimisation.
AfricaPortalandHelpChildrenbeChildrencampaignlaunch
WejoinedforceswithMTN,Meta,ICMECandChildHelplineInternationalto launchtheHelpChildrenbeChildrencampaignandtheChildSafetyOnline AfricaPortaltoincreasepublicawarenessoftheimpactofchildsexualabuse materialandhelppreventitsspreadinAfrica. Readourpressrelease.
2022 (i)IWF April j \ i - .I
The Annual Report
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IWFwinsatBritishDataAwards
WewereawardedNotforProfitoftheYearattheBritishDataAwards2022 whichcelebratestheorganisationsandpeoplethataredeeplypassionate aboutdata.
Readourpressrelease
June
Taskforcereachesonemillionhashes
Oneyearsincecreation,ourdedicatedhashingtaskforcemarkedthe assessmentandindividualhashingofonemillionimagesofchildsexualabuse fromtheUKGovernment’sChildAbuseImageDatabase(CAID)system.
Readourpressrelease.
The Annual Report 2022 ~IWF
Predate ch
for Profit of the Year
May
Winner Not
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IWFlaunchnewpodcast
InJulywelaunchedournew‘shortcast’series,InConversationWith,starting withanin-depthdiscussionwithProfHanyFaridfromtheUniversityof California,Berkeley,ontheencryptionvsprivacydebate.
Readourarticleorcatchuponthepodcast.
Trenches Law
AnewpartnerchoosesIWFascharityoftheyear
TrenchesLawmadetheIWFtheirCharityoftheYear,supportingusbyraising vitalfundsandspreadingthewordaboutourwork.
Readourarticle.
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Chatbotcreatedtopreventviewingofchildsexualabuse
AlongsideourpartnersatStopitNow!theIWFunveiledafirst-of-its-kind chatbot,launchedonPornhubUK,designedtostoppotentialoffenders searchingforpicturesandvideosofchildsexualabuseonlineandencourage themtoseekhelpfortheirbehaviour.
Bonusepisodeofourground-breakingpodcastreleased
Wereleasedabonusepisodeofourground-breakingpodcastseries,Pixels fromaCrimeScene,whichfocusedonagrowingthreattochildrenonline.
The Annual Report 2022 September (i)!!{.;F Watch Foundation First-of-its-kind online child
Help r.i awilable lrom St09 u Now• lot,o,,.,....,1o1-11,,a--c'J CD IQ BONUS EPISODE (j)!!!r Watch Foundation
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sexual abuse.
PIXELS
October
uterWeekly uential Women hnology 2022
CEOnamedinComputerWeekly’smostinfluentialwomeninUKtechlist
OurChiefExecutive,SusieHargreavesOBE,wasannouncedasoneof ComputerWeekly’stop50MostInfluentialWomeninUKTechnologyin2022. Readthearticle.
November
New‘cryptounit’announced
Ouranalystsidentifiedatrendthatshowedcryptocurrencypaymentsforchild sexualabusematerialdoubledalmosteveryyearsince2015.Inresponse,we launchedanew‘crypto-unit’.
Readourpressrelease
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___,
POSITIVE IMPACT AWARDS
6 DECEMBER 2022 I LONDON
CELEBRATING CHANGE FOR THE BETTER IN POLITICS, BUSINESS AND SOCIETY
FinalistinNewStatesmanPositiveImpactAwards
TheIWFwasafinalistattheNewStatesmanPositiveImpactAwardsfor Technologyonaccountofourinnovativecontributiontotheremovalofchild sexualabusematerialonlinewithIntelliGrade. Readthearticle.
IndependentHotlineAudit
WewelcomedfourindependentinspectorsintoIWFattherequestofour Board.Theyreported:“TheIWFisanextremelyprofessionalandwellmanagedorganisationledbyastrongbutcaringandcompassionate leadershipteam.”Readthereport.
Agalaeventtothankourpartners,championsandadvocates
TheIWFhostedaneventatWestminsterthatgatheredguestsfrom Government,thethirdsector,lawenforcementandthetechindustrytomark
The Annual Report 2022 0 NEW~iATESMAN
December ,4' \ l .1 (i)!!'!f r Watch Foundation "~' , I i \ \ ' ,.... ~. Internet Watch Foundation . ... ,: I~r~ {i)IWF I ' 12
anotheryearofprotectingchildrenonline.Readourarticle.ActorSamantha Mortonspokemovinglyofoneparent’sexperiencetryingtoprotecttheirchild.
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Welcome from our Chair
IWFoccupiesauniqueplaceintheonlinesafetylandscape. Itsuccessfullynurturespositiveandproductiverelationshipswithglobal technologycompanies,aswellasothertypesofcompanieswhosecorevalues ofprotectingchildrenreflectourown.NeverhasIWF’smembershipoffering beensovalued,andIWF’sMembersbeensogreatinnumber.
Webuildandmaintainthelargestandmostquality-assureddatabaseofillegal imageswhichenablesustoprovideanunparalleledservicetoourMembers. OurrelationshipswiththeUKGovernment,theincomingUKregulator,Ofcom, andlawenforcement,particularlytheUK’sNationalCrimeAgencyarestrong. Ourpartnersrecognisethecrucialcontributionwemaketotacklingonline childsexualabuse.Thisisparticularlyevidencedbytherolewe’veplayedover thepasttwoyearsastheonlynon-lawenforcementorganisationwithaccess tothenationalChildAbuseImageDatabase(CAID)wherewehaveassessed andqualityassuredovertwomillionimages.Wesharethosebackwithlaw enforcementtoaidtheirworkandalsowithindustrytoensureduplicate imagesofchildsexualabusearenotdistributedontheirplatforms.
Overthepastfewyearswe’veworkedhardonourprogrammeofengagement. Thisisallcritical,ofcourse,asweexpecttoseetheintroductionoftheOnline SafetyBill(OSB)intheUKandnewlegislationintheEU.
AsthelargesthotlineinEurope,contributing63%ofallillegalcontentitemsto theInhopedatabase,ourparticipationandexpertisehasneverbeeninsuch demand.ThenatureofthecrimechangesconstantlywhichiswhytheIWF
AndrewPuddephattOBE,ChairofIWF
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playssuchacentralrole.Asanexample,I’mstruckbyastudywithinthis annualreportwhichdetailsthecomplexityofremovingimagesandvideosof childsexualabusefromforums,andhowforumsareresponsiblefor distributingalargeamountofthiscontent–afactwhichisnotimmediately apparentinourdata.
Thescaleofonlinechildsexualabusematerial,andthedesireofabusersto seemoreofthiscontenthasanythingbutabated.Ourchallenge,alongside companiesprovidingonlineplatformsandservices,istomaketheinternetas safeandabuse-freeaspossible.Thisisnoeasytask,butonethatthewholeof theIWFteamisupfor.That’swhythispastyearwe’veembarkedonour biggestrecruitmentdrivetodate.We’veexpandedourhotlineanalystteam, techteamandcorporatefunctionstosupportthoseacrosstheorganisation. Thisareaofworkneverstandsstill.We’recreatingnewservicesforMembers, newwaysinwhichMemberscanreceiveourservicesandbespoke arrangementstosupportspecificrequests.It’stestamenttothequalityand granularityofourdatasetsthatthey’reinsuchdemand.
Itisalsowhy,in2023,wewillhighlighttheneedforamoresustained,high levelnationalcampaignfocusingonpreventingtheabuseofchildren.We believethisshouldbeaprioritysupportedatthehighestlevelofour Governmentandshouldconsidertherecoveryresponse,inadditionto preventionwork,forchildrenwhohavesufferedonlinesexualabuseand exploitation.
Asthedatainthisreportreveals,theIWFhasneverbeensoimportantorso needed.ForthepastfiveyearswehaveworkedcloselywiththeGovernment toensurethattheOSBdelivers‘good’regulationthatputstheinterestsof childrenatitsheartanddoesnot,howeverunintentionally,inanyway compromiseordiminishourwork.That’swhywe’reproposingIWFplaysa centralrole,inpartnershipwithOfcom,tosupporttheregulationofcriminal childsexualabusematerialonlinefortheUK.
Intheyearahead,we’rereadytoworkwithOfcomtolookathowbesttoscale upthedeploymentofourservicesandactivitieswithinscopeoftheUK’s OnlineSafetyBill.
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The Annual Report 2022
AndasIbeginmyfinalyearasIWFChair,Icansaythatit’sbeenaprivilege andIamreallygoingtomissworkingwithboththeexemplaryBoardof TrusteesandtheIWFteam.Theexecutiveandwholestaffteamconsistently workhardtomeettheirenormousmissiontoeliminateonlinechildsexual abuse.
In2022,theIWFwasonceagainputunderamicroscopebyanindependent auditteam,ledbyretiredHighCourtJudgeSirMarkHedley,andwerefoundto bean“extremelyprofessionalandwell-managedorganisationledbyastrong butcaringandcompassionateleadershipteam”.UnderSusieHargreaves’ leadershiptheyrisetoeverychallengetobeaglobalbeaconofexcellence.
MyoverallaiminmyfinalyearistoensurethattheGovernmentandOfcom dotherightthingandprotectthelegacyandcrucialworkoftheIWFinthe OnlineSafetyBillregime.
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The Annual Report 2022
Welcome from our CEO
Tacklingonlinechildsexualabusehasneverfeltmoreinthespotlight. We’reallgrapplingwithnewandchangingtechnologiesandshifting behavioursofcriminalsonlinewhoseektocreateanddistributechildsexual abuseimagery,oftenformonetarygain.
It’sheart-breakingtoreveal,again,thatin2022we’veseenincreasesinthe numberofreportswhichincludeimagesandvideosofthesexualabuseof childrenaged7-10.Andthatsexualimagerycreatedofchildrenwhentheyare online,ofteninthesupposed‘safespaces’oftheirbedrooms,nowaccounts foralmostfourineveryfivereports.
Thisismy12thyearleadingtheIWFandIamimmenselyproudofeverything wehaveachievedandhowwehavegrowntoenableustotackletheproblem, butthere’sabsolutelynosatisfactioninknowingthatweareseeingmoreand morechildrenbeingabusedandthattheyaregettingyounger.
AttheIWFwe’vealwaysbeencarefulnottodescribeindetailwhatweseeas wedon’twanttoupsetpeople,butwe’restartingtobelievethatwehaveto startbeingmoreupfrontandhonestabouttheextentoftheabusewefind,as thepublicneedstorealisethatwearetalkingaboutsevenyearolds,naked, insertingitemsintotheirvaginasunderthedirectionandcoercionofnasty,
SusieHargreavesOBE,ChiefExecutiveOfficerofIWF
{i)IWF
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manipulativeindividuals.Thechildrenaretotallyunawarethatthishasbeen recordedandwillbesharedtimeandtimeagainontheinternetbytheir abusers.Andthetruthisthatitcanaffectanychildfromanybackgroundasall youngchildrenleftunsupervisedwithacamera-enableddeviceandaninternet connectionareatrisk.
Thisiswhyweneedtodoeverythingwecanasasocietytoworkwith partnersacrosstheworldtostoptheabusehappeninginthefirstplace. Webelievethatthisispossibleandcanbeachievedbyhavingthree fundamentalpillarsinplace:(i)properlegislationandwell-resourcedlaw enforcement,(ii)techcompaniesdoingeverythingpossibletopreventthe uploadanddistributionofimagessotheycan’tbesharedand(iii)a programmeofeducationandawarenessraisingforbothchildrenand parents/carerssothattheyunderstandthedangersandhowtokeep themselvesandtheirchildrensafeonline.
Butwewon’tgetthereifwedon’tworktogetherandputtheneedsofchildren first.Thisiswhywearestandinginsolidaritywithourchildprotectionpartners toopposetheintroductionofend-to-endencryptiononplatformswithout therebeingthenecessarytechnically-possiblechildsafeguardsinplace. Likewise,wehavebeenworkingcloselywithcolleaguesacrosstheUK GovernmenttoensurethattheOnlineSafetyBilldoeswhatitsetsouttodo andmakestheUKasaferspacetobeonlineandaspartofthat,protectthe criticalworkoftheIWF,aswithoutusitwillbechildrenwhowillsuffer.
Empoweringchildren,andthosewhocareforthem,isanabsolutepriority,and afterthefirstfullyearofoperatingReportRemovewithourNSPCCpartners, we’veseenhowboys,manyaged16-17,aremostoftenreportingsexual imagesofthemselvestous.Casesofsexuallycoercedextortionarerising amongthisgroup,ascriminalsseektoextortmoneyfromtheirvictims.Report Removeisclearlyneededbyyoungpeopleandithasimmensepotentialtobe replicatedinothercountries.
TheworkoftheIWFisateameffortandeverysinglememberofstaff, regardlessoftheirrole,playstheirpartandalwaysgoestheextramiletodo whatevertheycantostoptheseimagesbeingcirculated.That’sbecausethey
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knowthateveryimageisarealchildwhohasbeenabusedinthemosthorrific way.
Wewon’tstopuntileverysingleimagehasbeenremovedfromtheinternet becausechildrenneedtoknowweareouttherefightingtheircorner.
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The
2022
European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson
“Childsexualabuseisaheinouscrimewithlifelongconsequencesforthe victims.Theonlinespaceoffersnewopportunitiesforoffenderstogroomand abusechildrenandtoexchangechildsexualabusematerial.Weneedastrong response.Targetedandrobustpreventionplaysakeyroleinprotecting childrenagainstchildsexualabuseandexploitation.Thenewproposalfora Regulationtopreventandcombatchildsexualabusefocusesfirstand foremostonpreventionbyensuringthatdigitalspaceshavethenecessary protectionstokeepchildrensafefromharmandtostopthedistributionof childsexualabusematerialthatfuelsdemandfornewabuses.
Aneffectivefightagainstthiscrimerequiresacomprehensive,multistakeholderandglobalapproach,withtoolstofacilitatereporting, investigationsandassistanceandsupporttovictims.TheInternetWatch Foundationplaysakeyroleinfinding,reportingandremovingonlinerecords ofchildsexualabuse.ThisIWFreportindicatesthatthethreatofchildsexual abuseonlineisontherise,notablythroughtheincreasein“self-generated” contentwhichfrequentlyresultsfromgroomingandsextortion.Thereport providesimportantevidencetohelppreventandcombatthesecrimes.”
Imagecredit:photographerClaudioCentonze,EuropeanUnion2023
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Minister for Safeguarding, Sarah Dines MP
OnlinechildsexualabuseisanappallingcrimethattheUKGovernmentis committedtostampingout,workingalongsideindustryandcivilsocietybothin theUKandglobally.
Worryingly,thescaleandseverityofonlinechildsexualabusehasincreased yearonyearasevidencedbyIWF’sannualreports.Thisyearisnoexception. The2022reportshowsthevolumeofdetectedchildsexualabusematerialhas outpacedthatoflastyear.Therehasalsobeena60%increasein7-to-10year-oldsappearinginthesehorrificimages.
TheTacklingChildSexualAbuseStrategy,publishedinJanuary2021,setsout theUKGovernment’slong-termambitiontotackleallformsofchildsexual abuse,whetherittakesplaceonlineorofflineinthefamilyhome,institutions, orcommunities,inthiscountryoroverseas.
SincethepublicationoftheStrategy,wehavemadeprogressongroundbreakinglegislation,suchastheOnlineSafetyBillandthePolice,Crime, SentencingandCourtsAct2022.Wehavealsoinvestedintheworld-leading ChildAbuseImageDatabase,whichishelpingtoincreasetheefficiencyof effortstotacklecasesofonlinechildsexualexploitation.TheInternetWatch Foundationhasmademeaningfulcontributionstothesesuccesseswiththeir
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continuedengagementontheOnlineSafetyBillandstrengtheningthepotency oftheChildAbuseImageDatabasewiththeirhashsharingproject.
Recently,IvisitedtheInternetWatchFoundation’sheadquartersandwas impressedbytheworkthattheydo.Forexample,thedevelopmentand maintenanceoftheReportRemovetool,whichisgivingchildrenan opportunitytoreclaimcontroloverharmfulimageryofthemselvesshared online.Ormorerecentlytheintroductionoftheground-breakingchatbotin partnershipwiththeLucyFaithfullFoundation,whichwillnotonlydiscourage offending,butalsoencouragethosedisplayingearlysignsofharmfulsexual behaviourstoseekhelp.
IamgratefulfortheInternetWatchFoundation’scontinuedcollaborationin ourmissiontonotonlymakingtheUKthesafestplaceintheworldtobe online,buttomaketheinternetasaferplaceforeverybody.
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Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology,
The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP
IamdelightedtowelcometheInternetWatchFoundation’sannualreportfor 2022,whichhighlightstheircrucialroleinprotectingchildreneverydayfrom thehorrificextentofchildabuseandexploitationonline.
TheInternetWatchFoundation’shighlydedicatedteamremainsatthe forefrontoftherapiddetectionandremovalofchildsexualabuseonline throughtheuseofcutting-edgetechnology.Theinformationinthisreport offersinsightstoGovernment,onlineservicesandorganisationsgloballyon theprevalenceofcontentandadviceonhowwecanprotectchildren.Thisis especiallycrucialatatimewhenwearelegislatingfortheUKtobecomethe safestplaceintheworldforchildrenonlineviathenewlystrengthenedOnline SafetyBill.
SinceItookcontroloftheOnlineSafetyBill,Ihaveaddednewchildprotection measuresthatmaketheBillasawholeevenmorerobustforchildren–showingthatwithoutdoubt,theUKiscommittedtoprotectingchildrenonline.
TheInternetWatchFoundation’ssupportforourworktostrengthentheBillfor childrenhasprovenincrediblyvaluable,andwewillmakesurethatthesevital protectionsareimplementedasquicklyaspossible.
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Becausefundamentally,IbelievethattheUKhasachoicetomakewhenit comestothewayourchildreninteractwiththeonlineworld.Eitherweallow thepowerforchildren’sonlinelivestorestwithsocialmediagiants,orwe applyourlongstandingnormsandvalueswhenitcomestochildrenby interveningtoprotectthem.Myfirmview,andIamsureyourstoo,isthatwe mustlegislatenowtoensurethelatterisputintolaw.Transparency, accountabilityandrobustprotectionsforchildren–thesearetheprinciples thatweareputtingintolawonceandforall.
Backed-upbyanindependentregulatorwithunprecedentedtoolstohold socialmediacompaniestoaccountforfailingintheirdutiestoprotectchildren, wewillbeonastrongpathwaytoachievingthegoalsoftheInternetWatch FoundationandoftheGovernment:toprotectchildren.
ButIwanttobeclearthatIdonotseetheOnlineSafetyBillasasilverbullet totheissuesthatchildrenfaceonline.Infact,Iwantthistobethefirststepin awiderpackageofactionacrossGovernmentthatwillmeanfuture generationsofchildrenneverhavetoexperiencesomeoftheappallingcontent documentedbytheInternetWatchFoundationinrecentyears.Iam determinedtoensurethatweneverlosefocusorbecometooselfcongratulatory,butinsteadremainconstantlyvigilanttothethreatsposedby aneverchangingonlineworld.
ThisreportreinforceshowcriticaltheInternetWatchFoundation’sroleisto makingtheUKthesafestplaceintheworldtobeonline,andIthankthe InternetWatchFoundationfortheircontinuedvitalwork.
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The Annual Report 2022
Our role in the UK
Safer Internet Centre
UKSaferInternetCentreDirectors,WillGardnerOBE,EmmaHardy,DavidWright
TheUKSaferInternetCentre(UKSIC)isaleadingglobalpartnershiphelpingto maketheinternetagreatandsafeplaceforeveryone.
Weprovidesupportandservicestochildrenandyoungpeople,adultsfacing onlineharms,andprofessionalsworkingwithchildren.
AbridgebetweenGovernment,industry,lawenforcementandsociety,weare theengineoftheonlineprotectionlandscapeintheUK,dealingwithboth preventionandresponse.
Weareunique.Formedofthreeforemostcharities,Childnet,InternetWatch FoundationandSWGfL,weworktogethertoidentifythreatsandharmsonline andthencreateanddelivercriticaladvice,resources,educationand interventionsthathelpkeepchildrenandyoungpeople,andadults,safe.We
<!> UKSafer Internet Centre {i)!!f.F Watch Foundation Internet Watch Foundation QSWGfL {i)IWF ()Childnet N NOMINET 25
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shareourbestpracticesacrosstheUKandgloballyandweworkalongside30 othercentresacrosstheEuropeancontinent.
In2022,Nominet,theofficialregistryforUKdomainnames,steppedupto supporttheUK’sonlinesafetysectorbyfundingthisworkfollowingtheUK’s departurefromtheEU.Priorto2022,wehadbeenfundedbytheEuropean CommissionastheSaferInternetCentrefortheUK.
Wefocusourworkaroundfourfunctions:
Anawarenesscentrewhereweprovideadviceandsupporttochildren andyoungpeople,parentsandcarers,schools,andthechildren’s workforce.
Threehelplineswhichprovidesupporttoprofessionalsworkingwith childrenandyoungpeoplewithonlinesafetyissues,andsupporttoall adultsfacingissueswithharmfulcontentandnon-consensualindecent imageryonline.
Ahotlinewhichprovidesananonymousandsafeplacetoreportand removeonlinechildsexualabuseimagesandvideoswherevertheyare foundintheworld.
Avoicetoyoungpeople:WeoperateaYouthAdvisoryBoard,andwe nurtureyouthparticipation,providingafocusonyouthvoicetogive youngpeopleagencytomakeadifferenceintheirschoolcommunities.
UKSICistheproudcoordinatorofSaferInternetDayintheUK.
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TrendsandData
Our Hotline Director: Children deserve more
ByChrisHughes
AsanotheroperationalyearintheHotlinecloses,anewonequietlyand seamlesslybeginsintheHotlinewithoutfanfareorfuss.
AswithallNewYear’sresolutionsorendofyearreports,dateandtime markershelpusreflectandmeasurewhatweachievedandgivesusfocusto considerourgoalsandambitionsfortheyearahead.
Iamfortunatetoheadupanexceptionallydedicatedteamofanalystswho, eachyear,committodoingajobthatischallengingatbothapersonaland professionallevel;theirworkrequiresresilience,courage,andaselflessness thatfewofusareexpectedtofaceinourdailyjobs.
WeshouldallrightlycelebratetheworkoftheAnalystsandContent
Assessors;however,thesadtruthisthataseachnewyearquietlystarts,we knowthattherewillinevitablybemuchmoretodointheyearahead,with manymorechildrenforthefirst-timebecomingvictimsofonlinesexualabuse whiletheirimagesarepubliclytradedandsharedandtreatedasacommodity.
Theinsightsandstatisticsprovidedinthisreportareimportantforthevery reasonthateachstatisticrepresentstheunderservedandabhorrentabuseor exploitationofachildbyanadult.
The Annual Report 2022 {i)IWF
Internet Watch Foundation 27
Ihaveasingleaskofeveryonereadingthisreport;itissimplythatin2023we shouldallfindreasonsforwhywecanandshoulddomore.Weshouldnot settleorbecomfortablewiththeideathatbecausewearedoingsomething, wearedoingenough.
Excellentandvaluedworkisbeingdoneacrossdifferentsectorsbydifferent stakeholders,andthatistobeapplauded,butletusallaspiretoraiseour gamein2023.Ourchildrendeservenothingless.
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF Internet Watch Foundation 28
The Annual Report 2022 Reports analysis
In 2022
We assessed a webpage every one-and-a-half minutes.
Every two minutes, that webpage showed a child being sexually abused.
Peoplereporttousatiwf.org.uk,orthroughoneofthe50ReportingPortals aroundtheworld,inmultiplelanguages.Allreportsareassessedatour headquartersintheUK.Wealsoactivelysearchtheinternetforchildsexual abuseimagery.Wecallthis,‘proactivesearching’.
375,230reportswereassessedbyIWF(4%increasefrom2021):
o375,153werereportsofwebpages,and
o77werereportsofnewsgroups
255,571URLs(webpages)wereconfirmedascontainingchildsexualabuse imageryhavinglinkstotheimageryoradvertisingit(1%increasefrom 2021).EachURLcouldcontainone,tens,hundredsoreventhousandsof individualchildsexualabuseimagesorvideos.
Additionally,17newsgroupreportswereconfirmedascontainingchild sexualabuseimagery.
NoreportswereconfirmedasUK-hosted non-photographicchildsexualabuseimagery(prohibitedimages).
Weusetheterm‘actioned’toindicateareportwhichwasfoundtocontain childsexualabusematerial,whichwethereforetookanumberofactivesteps toremovefromtheinternet.
YoucanreadmoreaboutUK-hostedandglobally-hostedchildsexualabuse material.
Internet Watch Foundation
~IWF 29
The Annual Report 2022
Thischartcomparesproactivelysourcedreports(whereouranalystssearch forcontent)andthosereportswhichcametousviaexternalsources.
Thischartshowsabreakdownoftheexternalsourceswhichreportintousand reportnumbersfromeachsource.Thefivesourcesare:Public,Police, Member,OtherandHotline.
External vs proactive - reports assessed and actioned External Ill Proactive 50,000 Assessed • Actioned 100,000 134,407 (36%) 150,000 Number of reports External report sources - assessed and actioned Other b,959 Police I 60 7 Public Hotline 199 1112 913 Member I •s9 0 14,839 Assessed 30,000 • Actioned Internet Watch Foundation 60,000 90,000 Number of reports 200,000 120,000 (i)IWF 240,823 (64%) 239,371 (94%) 250,000 SOulw: IWF An1Kli11 Report 2022 126,334 150,000 5outcl.lWFMl'll.la1Report2022 30
The Annual Report 2022
External reports - % which accurately led to child sexual abuse imagery (as a% of reports assessed for that source)
Chartshowingthepercentageofreportswhichwereactionable(contained childsexualabusematerial)fromeachexternalsource.Thefivesourcesare: Public,Police,Member,OtherandHotline.
Publicreportsourceaccuracy
126,334reportswereassessedbyourHotlinewhichcamefromthe public.26%(29%in2021)ofthesereportscorrectlyidentifiedchildsexual abusecontent.Thisfigureincludesnewsgroupsandduplicatereports(where thesamecriminalURLhasbeenreportedmultipletimes).
Note:Eachyear,anumberoftheseareadvertsorlinkstochildsexualabuse material.
Other o,. Police -fii Public ffii Hotline Member 10 20 30 40 50 60 Percentage of reports actioned Internet Watch Foundation (i)IWF 70 80 Souroe, IWF Annu~ Repc:,ft 2022 31
BandC.
2022 2021 2020 Severity of abuse over past three years 51,369 - 136,914 [20%) [54%) 45,448 - 153,375 {18%) - (62%} 20 40 Percentage 60 102,122 [68%) (i)IWF 80 100
ThischartshowstheseverityofchildsexualabuseaccordingtoUKCategoryA,
The Annual Report 2022
• Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism
Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity.
SOUroaIWFMl'lullReport2022 Internet Watch Foundation 32
• Category C: Other indecent images not falling within categories A or B.
Our quality-assured hash data
Ahashisatypeofdigitalfingerprint,orstringvaluethatidentifiesapicture ofconfirmedchildsexualabuse.
Eachhashiscompletelyunique.Onceanimagehasbeenhashed,itcanbe recognisedquickly.Thismeansthousandsofcriminalpicturescanbeblocked fromeverbeinguploadedtotheinternetinthefirstplace.
Bytheendof2022,theIWFhadhashed1,663,106individualimagessince 2016.In2021welaunchedourTaskforcefollowingsomefundingwereceived fromThorntodothiswork.Youcanreadmoreaboutthisandourpartnership withtheUKGovernment’sChildAbuseImageDatabasehere.
The Annual Report 2022 (i)IWF
Total unique hashes by severity and age Category A Category B Category C 8,730 14,526 16,714 19,513 31,942 • 11,818 2,532 32,551 25,547 16,937 47,451 50,000 Age0-2 Age3-6 Internet Watch Foundation 146,947 105,305 100,000 150,000 Number of unique hashes • Age?-10 Agell-13 187,090 295,228 252,855 190,348 277,072 200,000 250,000 300,000 Age 14-15 • Age 16-17 Sluce.lWFMOOll~2022 33
The Annual Report 2022
Thischartdetailsuniquehashesofchildsexualabusesplitbyageandseverity (category).ThemajorityofhashesinbothcategoriesAandBareofchildren aged7-10yearsold.
Thischartshowstheuniquehashesofchildsexualabusesplitby severity(category)ofabuseandsexofthechild.Mostofthehashedimages acrossallseveritycategoriesdepictgirls.
Total unique hashes by severity and sex 286,791 Girls 449,490 93,266 Boys :flit-I 11,268 Both 23,971 11,101 - 20,133 Unidentified 34,738 11,567 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 Number of unique hashes - Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism. • Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity. - Category C: Other indecent images not falling within categories A or B. Internet Watch Foundation (i)IWF 500,000 SOIIICJIIWf~~2002 34
Analysis of IntelliGrade hashes; sexual activity metadata
Thischartprovidesmoredetailontheexactnatureoftheabuseseeninan imagewhichhasbeenhashedbyouranalystsusingourbespoke software,IntelliGrade.YoucanreadmoreaboutIntelliGradehere.
2022
The Annual Report
Non~penetrative sexual activity Penetration Sexual posing with nudity Masturbation Sexual display of the pubic region Inappropriate touching Sadism or degradation Bestiality Adult sexual arousal -48,475 23,081 19,870 I s,332 14,125 100,000 Internet Watch Foundation 200,000 300,000 Number of hashes (i)IWF 452,244 400,000 500,000 Soutce twF Annu.i Rel)Qt1 2022 35
Analysis by age Overview
Thischartprovidesathree-yearlookatthenumber,andproportion,ofchild sexualabuseURLsidentifiedbyIWFanalystssplitbyageoftheyoungestchild seeninanyimageuponthatURL.
Overthepastthreeyears,childrenaged11-13aremostoftenseen,howevera 10percentagepointdecreasewasnotedin2022,comparedto2021.Wealso noteda13percentagepointincreaseinthenumberof7-10yearoldchildren.
The Annual Report 2022
Age comparison over the past three years 1,001(0%) 11,351(4%) 2022 ___,__;_-_,__________________ 1,497 (1%) 2021 illln:tr _______ 1,582(1%) 2020 20 40 60 80 Percentage (i)IWF 3,357(1%)1,266(0%)7 1,012(0%) 4,787(2%) 7 737(0%) 4,306(3%) 7 100 Age 0-2 Age 3-6 • Age 7-10 Age 11-13 Age 14-15 • Age 16-17 Soutce.lWFAMua!Aepon2022 Internet Watch Foundation 36
The Annual Report 2022
Thischartprovidesabreakdownforallchildsexualabusereportsin2022,by ageoftheyoungestchildseen.
2022 reports by age breakdown 0-2 1,001 (0%) 3-6 11,351 (4%) 7-10 11-13 14-15 3,357 (1%) 16-17 11,266 (0%) 0 30,000 Age0-2 Age 3-6 Internet Watch Foundation 60,000 Number of reports 90,368 (36%) 90,000 • Age7-10 • Age11-13 120,000 (i)IWF 146,044 (58%) 150,000 Age 14-15 • Age 16-17 Source IWFAonualRef)ort'2022 37
0-2 years: Babies and toddlers
Everyyear,weseeagreaterproportionofCategoryAimages–showingthe mostsevere,sadisticformsofsexualabuse–involvingbabies,toddlersand evennewborns.In2022,wealsocontinuedtoseemanyCategoryBimages, suggestingthatinalmostallimagesofinfants,anabuserispresent.
Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism
Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity
Category C: Other indecent images not falling within categories A or B. Source:
The Annual Report 2022
0-2 year olds - severity of abuse 21 (2%) 170 (17%) 810 (81%) 0-2 year olds - sex of victims Girls67 Boys (7 %) Both Unidentified I rt%) 10 20 30 40 Internet Watch Foundation 411 (41%) 490 (49%) so Percentage • • • 60 (i)IWF
Annwt RePort 2022 70 80 90 100 Source: IWF A.nnu11 Repon 2022 38
IWF
3-6 Years old: Young children
Youngerchildrencontinuetobeabusedandexploitedbycriminalsfor commercialgain:wesawahighproportionofICAPwebsitesusingvideosof36-year-oldsto‘advertise’thesaleofchildsexualabuseimages.
ICAPsitesrepresentanewmethodologyofcommercialchildsexualabuse websiteswhichwediscoveredin2022.YoucanreadmoreonICAPsiteshere.
3-6 year olds - severity of abuse
Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism
Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity
Category C: Other indecent images not falling within categories A or B.
3-6 year olds - sex of victims
The Annual Report 2022
2,357 (21%) 3,372 (30%) Perceniages rounded 10 the nearest whole rtumber
Girls Boys 1283(2%} Both1 • 715 (15%} Unidentified 134 (0%} 10 20 PercentageSrounded 10 the nNl"8SI whole nvmbef 30 Internet Watch Foundation 40 5,622 (50%) 50 Percentage • • • 60 (i)IWF
Source, IWF Annual Report 2022 70 80 9,319 (82%} 90 100 Source: IWF Annual Repor12022 39
The Annual Report 2022 (i)IWF
7-10 Years old: Pre-pubescent children
In2022,wesawa60%increaseinthenumberofimagesincludingchildren aged7-10yearsold.Asever-youngerchildrenbecomemoretech-awareand activeonline,theybecomemorevulnerabletogroomingandabuseby strangers–evenintheirownbedrooms.
Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism
Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity
Category C: Other indecent images not falling within categories A or B.
7-10 year olds - severity of abuse 50,522 (56%) Girls Boys Both Unidentified 7-10 year olds - sex of victims 11,274 (1%) 11,733 (2%) 1 52 (0%) 10 20 30 40 Internet Watch Foundation 18,200 (20%) 21,646 (24%) 50 Percentage • • • 60
Source: IWF Annwt RePort 2022 70 80 90 87,309 (97%) 100 Source: IWF A.nnu11 Repon 2022 40
11-13 Years old: Older children
Asinpreviousyears,wesawmoresexualabuseimagesofchildrenaged1113thanofanyotheragegroup.Olderchildrencanbecuriousabouttheonline worldandkeentoexplore.Unfortunately,adultabusers–sometimes pretendingtobechildrenthemselves–exploitthisbymanipulatingchildren intoperformingsexualactsoncamera,viaasmartphone,tabletorlaptop.In 2022,wesawa14%decreaseinimageryofthisagegroup.
Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism
Category 8: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity
Category C: Other indecent images not falling within categories A or B.
The Annual Report 2022
81,797 (56%) Girls Boys Both Unidentified 11-13 year olds - severity of abuse 25,361 (17%) 38,886 (27%) 11-13 year olds - sex of victims 1 3,997 (3%) 1 562 (0%) 1 10 (0%) 0 10 20 30 40 50 Percentage Internet Watch Foundation • • • 60 (i)IWF
Source: IWF Annual Report 2022 70 80 90 141,475 (97%) 100 Sourai IWF Annual Report 2022 41
14-15 Years old: Younger teenagers
Girlsareespeciallylikelytobetargetedandabusedonline;withinthisage group,girlsaccountfor95%ofthechildrenwesaw.Theabusedoesn’tstop whenthechildlogsoff–ifimageshavebeencapturedandsaved,theycanbe sharedacrosstheinternetagainandagain.Hashinghelpsprevent revictimisationbyidentifyingimagesastheyareuploaded.
(i)IWF
The Annual Report 2022
1,367 (41%) Girls Boys Both Unidentified 14-15 year olds - severity of abuse 14-15 year olds - sex of victims 1 121 (4%) 137 (1%) 0 (0%) 0 10 20 30 40 912 (27%) 50 Percentage Internet Watch Foundation • • • 60
Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism
Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity
Source: IWF Annual Report 2022 70 80 90 3,199 (95%) 100 SOurot. lWF Annual Report 2022 42
Category C: Other indecent images not falling within categories A or B.
The Annual Report 2022
16-17 Years old: Teenagers
IncreasingnumbersofteenagersareusingReportRemovetoflagintimate imagesandvideostousthathavebeensharedonlinewithouttheirpermission. Theseareoftencasesofsexually-coercedextortion,whereanimageisstolen fromthechildandmoneyisdemandedinexchangeforthatimagenotbeing distributed.
Weknowthatsexuallycoercedextortionforfinancialgainseemstobemore prevalentwithboysratherthangirls.Boysaretypicallyluredintowhatthey believearemutualexchangesofsexualimageswhereboysmistakenlybelieve theyaresharingimageswithagirlorolderwoman.
Empoweringchildrentoreclaimcontroloftheirimagesalsohelpsusremove imageswherethechild’sagemightbeunclearwithoutverification.
LearnmoreaboutReportRemovehere
Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism
Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity
Category C: Other indecent images not falling within categories A or B. Source·
850 (67%) 16-17 year olds - severity of abuse Internet Watch Foundation 118 (9%) • • • (i)IWF
IWF Annual Report 2022 43
16-17 year olds - sex of victims
The Annual Report 2022
Girls Boys I ~.2%) Both Ig%) Unidentified fo%) 10 20 30 Internet Watch Foundation 40 50 60 70 80 Percentage 90 (i)IWF 1,197 (95%) 100 Sc:lurw: IWF Annual Repor12022 44
Analysis by sex Overview
In2022,asinpreviousyears,mostofthechildsexualabuseimageswesaw showedgirlsonly.Wedid,however,observeanincreaseinthenumberof imagesofboysthisyearcomparedto2021.Imagesincludingbothgirlsand boyscontinuedtomakeupasmallproportionofthecriminalimageswetook actionon;someofthesewerecommercialinnature,shotinastudio,and otherswerewherechildrenhadbeengroomedandcoercedwiththeirsiblings orfriendsintheirbedroomsathome.
AfocusedanalysisofReportRemovedataisavailableherewhichshowshow boysaremakingthemajorityofreportstoremovesexualimageryof themselves.
Analysis by sex over the past three years
(i)IWF
The Annual Report 2022
2022 96% 2% LI 2021 97% 2¾ 1% J 2020 93% ~3%_LIJ 20 40 60 80 100 Percentage Girls • Boys • Both Unidentifiable Sou«:e.M'F~Aepon2022 Internet Watch Foundation 45
ThischartshowsthenumberandproportionofchildsexualabuseURLsin 2022,splitbysexofthevictim.
6,253 (2%) 242,989 (96%) Breakdown of victims by sex 4,016 (2%) 129 (0%) Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number Internet Watch Foundation ~IWF Girls • Boys • Both • Unidentifiable Source: IWF Annual Report 2022 46
The Annual Report 2022
The Annual Report 2022
By sex
In2022,wesawanincreaseintheproportionofCategoryAimages:these mostsevereimagesaccountedfor20%ofthechildsexualabuseimageswe actioned,upfrom18%in2021and17%in2020.Here,wetakeacloserlook athowthecategoryanalysisappliestochildsexualabusereportsfeaturing girlsandboysseparately.
Youcanreadmoreaboutself-generatedimageryhere.
Boys - severity of abuse
Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism.
Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity
Category C: Other indecent images not fatting within categories A or B.
In2022,2.5%or6,253reportsshowedthesexualabuseofboysonly.Thisis a137%increaseon2021(2,641reports).Withinthissubsetofdata,wecan seethatahigherproportionoftheimageryofboysshowsCategoryAchild sexualabusecomparedtogirls:31%forboyscomparedto19%forgirls.
Category A 1,941 (31%) Category C 1,479 (24%) Internet Watch Foundation • • (i)IWF
Source IWF Annual R~port 2022 47
Girls - severity of abuse
Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism.
Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity
Category C: Other indecent images not falling within categories A or B.
In2022,96%or242,989reportsshowedthesexualabuseofgirlsonly–an increaseof1,045reportson2021.Whilethecategoryofthismaterialin2022 and2021issimilar,CategoryChasdecreasedfrom63%(152,821)in2021,to 56%(135,328)in2022,whichisa7%decrease.CategoryAhasincreasedby 2%,andCategoryBby5%,showingtheseverityoftheabuseintheimagery identifiedhasincreased.
The Annual Report 2022
CategoryC 135,328 (56%) Internet Watch Foundation • • (i)IWF
Soorce IWF Annual Report 2022 48
Self-generated
Wesawasignificantincreaseinthenumberof‘self-generated’childsexual abuseimagesofboys.‘Self-generated’imagesofboysaccountedfor31% (831)ofallboys’childsexualabuseimagesin2021,whilein2022thisroseto 56%(3,504)–anoverallincreaseof25%.
In‘self-generated’CategoryAimages,wehaveobservedhousehold objectslikehairbrushesandpensbeingusedtopenetrate,withchildrenoften beingcoercedtodosobyaremoteabuser.
Youcanreadmoreaboutself-generatedimageryhere.
(i)IWF
The Annual Report 2022
Percentage of actioned content that was self-generated by sex and year Girls Boys Both I 1% Unidentified5% 10 20 • % self-generated 2022 31% 30 40% 39% 40 50 Percentage • % self-generated 2021 Internet Watch Foundation 80% 74% 56% 60 70 80 90 100 SOurot; IWF Annual Report 2022 49
Tosupportyoungpeopletoremovesexualimagesorvideosofthemselves online,theIWFandNSPCCdevelopedtheworld-firstReportRemovetool whichwaslaunchedinJune2021.
TheNSPCC’sChildlineserviceensuresthattheyoungpersonissafeguarded andsupportedthroughouttheprocessandtheIWFassessesthereported contentandtakesactionifitmeetsthethresholdofillegality.Thecontentis givenauniquedigitalfingerprint(ahash)whichisthensharedwithinternet companiestohelppreventtheimageryfrombeinguploadedorredistributed online.
Thissolutionprovidesachild-centeredapproachtoimageremovalwhichcan bedoneentirelyonline.Theyoungpersondoesnotneedtotellanyonewho theyare,theycanmakethereportatanytime,andfurtherinformationand supportisalwaysavailablefromChildline.
YoungpeoplecreateorsignintoaChildlineaccountwhichthenallowsthemto receiveChildlineemailupdatesabouttheirreport.Youngpeoplecanusethis emailserviceforongoingsupport,andtheycancontactaChildlinecounsellor viaonlinechatandviatheirfreephonenumber.Theycanalsoaccessrelevant informationandadvice,self-helptoolsandpeersupportontheChildline website.
In2022,wereceived187reportsthroughtheReportRemovetool.
Wewereabletotakeactionon101reports.
Analysisof‘actionable’reports
Thesearereportswhichwereassessedascontainingimagesand/orvideosor wereURLscontainingsuchimagesandvideosofchildsexualabuseaccording toUKlegislation.
Ofthe101reportswhichweassessedascriminalimages,mostcontained CategoryCimages(69%),andmoreboysreportedtousthangirls,withboys makingup73%ofthetotal.
The
2022 (j)IWF
Internet Watch Foundation 50
Annual Report
Report remove
The Annual Report 2022
Thischartprovidesanoverviewofthesexofthechilddepictedintheimages orvideossentthroughtheReportRemovetool.Most–almostthreequarters–camefromboys.
Sexuallycoercedextortion
Aquarter(24%or18reports)ofthe74actionablereportsfromboyswere becauseofsexuallycoercedextortion.We’veseenhowboysaretypically luredintowhattheybelievearemutualexchangesofsexualimageswhere theymistakenlybelievetheyaresharingimageswithapeerorolderperson.
Weknowthatsexuallycoercedextortionisbehindthesespecificreportsfrom boysastheyhaveincludedevidenceofthiswithintheirreport.Thiscouldbea chatlogwheretheyoungpersonhasdemonstratedthattheyarebeing coercedorwhereacollageofimageshasbeencreatedbytheoffender, overlaidwiththreateningtext.Nosuchevidencewaspresentagainstanyof theimagesofgirls.
Girls Boys 10 27 (27%) 20 Girts • Boys 30 Internet Watch Foundation 40 50 Percentage 60 74 (73%) 70 80 90 (i)IWF 100 SOurre IWFAnnuillReport.2022 51
Report Remove - overview by sex
Thischartshowshowboysaged16and17representthebiggestusergroupof theReportRemoveservice.
MostimagesandvideosreportedbyyoungpeoplethroughReportRemove (whichareassessedaschildsexualabusematerial)fallintoCategoryC,witha notableamountofimageryofboysassessedasCategoryB.
CategoryA:Imagesinvolvingpenetrativesexualactivity;imagesinvolving sexualactivitywithananimalorsadism.
Report Remove - breakdown by sex and age group of child depicted 11-13 14-15 10 16-17 10 20 30 40 Number of reports Girls • Boys Report Remove - breakdown by sex and severity 2 Category A I 0 Category B CategoryC 10 Girls • Boys Internet Watch Foundation 24 20 30 Number of reports 50 40 (i)IWF 60 5oufce. JWF Allooal Repon 2022 so Soi.lfc:e JWF Annual Repon 2022 52
The Annual Report 2022
CategoryB:Imagesinvolvingnon-penetrativesexualactivity.
CategoryC:OtherindecentimagesnotfallingwithincategoriesAorB.
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF Internet Watch Foundation 53
'Self-generated' child sex abuse Overview
In2022,wecontinuedtoseeahighproportionof‘self-generated’imagery. Thesearechildsexualabuseimagesandvideoscreatedusingsmartphonesor webcamsandthensharedonline.Insomecases,childrenaregroomed, deceivedorextortedintoproducingandsharingasexualimageorvideoof themselvesbysomeonewhoisnotphysicallypresentintheroomwiththe child.Theseimagesaremostoftentakeninahomesetting–achild’s bedroom,orabathroom.
Anoteonterminology:
Weregardtheterm‘self-generated’childsexualabuseasaninadequateand potentiallymisleadingtermwhichdoesnotfullyencompassthefullrangeof factorsoftenpresentwithinthisimagery,andwhichappearstoplacethe blamewiththevictimthemselves.Childrenarenotresponsiblefortheirown sexualabuse.Untilabettertermisfound,however,wewillcontinuetousethe term‘self-generated’as,withintheonlinesafetyandlawenforcementsectors, thisiswellrecognised.
Inourcharts,andexplanationsinthissection,wehavealsousedtheterm ‘abuserpresent’todescribeimagesandvideoswhichare‘not“selfgenerated”’.Pleasenotethat‘abuserpresent’meansthatweassessedthis contentasbeingcreatedwhentheabuserwasphysicallypresentintheroom withthevictim/sortheirlikeness,butthisdoesnotnecessarilymeanthat theabuserwasdepictedintheimageryitself
Trends
Childrenaged11-13continuetoappearmostfrequentlyin‘self-generated’ imagery,asinpreviousyears.Weobservedasteepincrease,however,inthe proportionofthistypeofimageryincludingchildrenaged7-10in2022,up 129%from2021.
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF
Ofthe255,571webpagesactionedduring2022,overthreequarters (199,363or78%)wereassessedascontaining‘self-generated’imagery.
Internet Watch Foundation 54
Thisisa6percentagepointincreaseon2021when72%ofactioned reports(or182,281)wereremote-captured.
oThisrepresentsa9%increasein‘self-generated’reportsfrom2021 to2022intermsofthenumberofactionedwebpages.
Internet Watch Foundation 55
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF
Key trends
Morekeytrendsofnote:
In2022,127,732reportswhichincluded‘self-generated’imageryincluded an11–13-year-oldgirl.
oThisrepresents50%ofallactionedreportsand64%of‘selfgenerated’childsexualabusereports.
We’vebeenmonitoringasteepincreaseinthisimageryfeaturing7–10year-olds.In2022,63,057‘self-generated’reportsfeatureda7–10-yearold,whichisa129%increaseon2021.
oThisisanincreaseof1,058%since2019when5,443reportsof ‘self-generated’childsexualabuseofthisagegroupwerefound. ThisexponentialincreasecoincideswiththeglobalCOVID-19 pandemicwhenchildrenwerespendingmoretimeonlinethanusual andvirtualsocialisingbecamethenorm.
In2022,61,754reportswhichincluded‘self-generated’imageryincluded a7–10-year-oldgirl.
oThisrepresents24%ofallactionedreportsand31%of‘selfgenerated’childsexualabusereports.
*Pleasenotethat‘abuserpresent’meansthatweassessedthiscontentasbeingcreated whentheabuserwasphysicallypresentintheroomwiththevictim/sortheirlikeness,but thisdoesnotnecessarilymeanthattheabuserwasdepictedintheimageryitself.
(i)IWF
The Annual Report 2022
Total number of actioned reports self-generated vs abuser present 7-10 63,057 ~11---(70%) 11-13 130,556 5 488 (89%) 14-15 2,957 400 (88%) 2%) 16-17 20 40 60 80 100 Percentage of reports • Actioned self-generated Actioned abuser present Sou<c:e l'NF~Repon2022 Internet Watch Foundation 56
The Annual Report 2022
Thischartshowsthetotalnumberofreportswhichincluded‘self-generated’ contentsplitbyageofthechilddepicted.
Thistableprovidesadetailedbreakdownofthereportswhichinclude‘selfgenerated’childsexualabusematerialbysexandage.
The number of 'self-generated' reports by age 7-10 11-13 14-15 2,957 (88%) 11,117 16-17 (88%) 63,057 (70%) 15,000 30,000 45,000 60,000 75,000 90,000 105,000 • Age7-10 • Agell-13 TN chart includes the pertefllaa,e of repotlswh!Ch cont~ 'self•a-;tted' child seicual •bvse materi.tlau percentage of.U reports /ofNdlate a,oup. Number of reports Age 14-15 • Age16-17 Number of self-generated reports per age group Unidentified Unidentified sex 1,676 1% age group Total 1,676 1% Girts 61,754 31% Boys 781 0% Age 7-10 Both 522 0% Total 63,057 32% Girls 127,732 64% Boys 2,544 1% Age 11-13 Both 279 0% Unidentified 1 0% Total 130,556 65% Girts 2,838 1% Boys 88 0% Age 14-15 Both 31 0% Total 2,957 1% Girts 1,065 1% Boys 51 0% Age16-17 Both 0% Total 1,117 1% Grand total 199,363 100% Internet Watch Foundation 100% 100% 98% 1% 1% 100% 98% 2% 0% 0% 100% 96% 3% 1% 100% 95% 5% 0% 100% 120,000 {i)IWF 130,556 (89%) 135,000 150,000 Source r-NFAnnua\Rei:,on2022 Source, IWF Anriuat Report 2022 57
The Annual Report 2022
Unidentified:ThisverysmallgrouprelatestoURLsdisplayingmorethanone imageonthepage(oftenmanythousands)andwhereoneormoreofthose imagesisself-generated.Fortheseweareunabletoattributeaspecificage grouptothemultiplechildrenseen.Someofthesemayalsobeyounger childreninvolvedinself-generatedimagesofsiblingabuse.
Self-generated - overview by severity 114,900 (58%) 32,871 (16%) Self-generated - overview by sex Girls Boys 13,504 (2%) Both 11,589 (1%) Unidentified 1 (0%) 51,592 (26%) • • (i)IWF
Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism.
Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity
Source· IWF Mooa( RePQrt 2022 194,269 (97%) 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 140,000 160,000 180,000 200,000 Number of reports Girls • Boys • Both Unidentified Sou«:e. IWF An111141 Repor1 2022 Internet Watch Foundation 58
Category C: Other indecent images not falling within categories A or B.
The Annual Report 2022
7-10 years: Pre-pubescent children
2022wasthefirstyearthat‘self-generated’childsexualabusereportsof710-year-oldsweremoreprevalentthancontentcreatedwhentheabuserwas physicallypresentintheroom.
7-10 year olds - types of abuse
(30%)
27,311
of abuse CategoryA~ Category B Category c 10,000 39,588 (63%) 20,000 30,000 63,057 (70%) Number of reports • Self-generated 0 Abuser present The percentages are ca1culaled using self-generated or abuser present 101als. Internet Watch Foundation • Self-generated • Abuser present 40,000 ' .. •I', 50,000 ~IWF Source: IWF Annual Report 2022 60,000 Sou1ce. lWF Annual ReP<»t 2022 59
7-10 year olds - severity
7-10 year olds - sex of victims
The Annual Report 2022
Girls 1781(1%) Boys 952 (3%) I 522 (1%) Both Unidentified 752(3%) 0(0%) 52(0%) 25,555 (94%) 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 Number of reports • Seit-generated Abuser present Internet Watch Foundation (i)IWF 61,754 (98%) 50,000 60,000 70,000 Source: IWF Mnual Re(lOft 2022 60
11-13
The Annual Report 2022
11-13 years: Older children
of abuse 15,488 (11%)
year olds - severity of abuse Category A Category B Category C 21.548
(17%) 20,000 3,813 (25%) 2,921 (19%) 40,000 130,556 (89%) 60,000 Number of reports • Self-generated 0 Abuser present The percentages are calculated using self-gll'llera1ed or abuser present totals. Internet Watch Foundation • Self-generated • Abuser present 80,000 8,754 (57%) ~IWF Source: IWF Annual Report 2022 100,000 Soorce. lWF Annual Report 2022 61
year olds - types
11-13
I
11-13 year olds - sex of victims
The Annual
2022
Report
Girls 12,544(2%) Boys 1,453 (9%) I 279(0%) Both Unidentified 283(2%) 1(0%) 9(0%) 13,743 (89%) (i)IWF 127,732 (98%) 0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 90,000 100,000 110,000 120,000 130,000 Number of reports • Self-generated Abuser present The pen;entqes a,ecalculated us,ng selt•geneHned or,~ present tot;i,ts Soufc:e: IWF An~I Re(IOrt 2022 Internet Watch Foundation 62
The Annual Report 2022
14-15 year olds -types of abuse 400 (12%) 14-15 year olds - severity of abuse 2,957 (88%) • Self-generated • Abuser present Category A 966 12 Category B Category C 300 • Self-generated (33%) 8 825 I (28%) 1,166 (39%) 600 • Abuser present 900 Number of reports The percen1ages are calcu!a1ed using seU-genera1ed or abuser present 101ats Internet Watch Foundation 1,200 ~IWF Source: IWF Annual Report 2022 1,500 Source. lWF Annual Report 2022 63
14-15 years: Teenagers
14-15 year olds - sex of victims
The Annual Report 2022
Girls 88(3%) Boys 33(8%) 131(1%) Both 16(2%) 361(90%) SOO • Self-generated 1,000 • Abuser present The percenta,es are calculated U$l"I se:f-genenned ()( abuser l)ftsent totals Internet Watch Foundation 1,S00 Number of reports (i)IWF 2,838(96%) 2,000 2,S00 3,000 Soun:e· IWF Annual Report 2022 64
The Annual Report 2022
16-17 year olds - types of abuse 149 (12%) 16-17 year olds - severity of abuse Category A Category B Category C 37 (25%) 200 400 1,117 (88%) 600 Number of reports • Self-generated 0 Abuser present Thepercentagesarecalculatedusingself•generatedorabuserpresentlotals. Internet Watch Foundation ~IWF • Self-generated • Abuser present Source: IWF Annual Report 2022 800 1,000 Source IWf Annual Report 2022 65
16-17 years: Teenagers
16-17 year olds - sex of victims
The Annual Report 2022
Girls 51(5%) Boys 1(1%) J 1(0%) Both 16(11%) 132(89%) 200 • Self-generated 400 Abuser present The i»<e:entages are calo.J~ted us.n1 sel!•generated Of abuser present 1otals. Internet Watch Foundation 600 Number of reports (i)IWF 1,065(95%) 800 1,000 1,200 SOoo:e lWF Ml'll.lal Report 2022 66
Geographical hosting: URLs
Wherearewebpagesbeinghosted?
YoucanfindoutabouttheUKhostingsituationhere.
Whenwe’veassessedthatanimageorvideofailsUKlaw,ouraimistogetit removedfromtheinternetasfastaspossible.Todothis,weperformatrace ontheURLtoidentifythelocationofthephysicalserverthatthecontentis hostedon.Thistellsuswhichpartnersinwhichcountryweneedtoworkwith. Whenthecontentisremovedfromthephysicalserver–itssource–thenwe canbesurethattheimagehasbeenremovedfromanysites–likewebsites, forums,orimagehosts–thatcouldbelinkingtoit.
“Iwouldalsoliketosharewithyouthatprettymuchallofthereports thatyouhavecontributedwithsofarhasplayedvitalrolesinanumberof investigationsaswellasanumberofconvictionsrelatingtoCSAMand CSE.Ithasplayedakeyroleingettingsearchwarrantsapprovedinmany ofthecases.Anumberofthesesearchwarrantsandinvestigationshas alsoledtothediscoveryofmoreaggravatedcrimesagainstchildren includinghandsonsexualoffences.Weareverythankfulforyoursupport inthesecases.”
SwedishPoliceAuthority
The Annual Report 2022
Total reports by continent Europe (inc Russia & Turkey) Asia North America Hidden Service I 1•067 (0%) Report Remove 1 101 (0%) Africa Australasia South America 60 (0%) 16 (0%) 6 (0%) 20,000 45,048 (18%) 41,464 (16%) 40,000 Internet Watch Foundation 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 Number of reports 140,000 (i)IWF 160,000 167,809 (66%) 180,000 Source!WF""""81Repo,12022 67
The Annual Report 2022 Total reports by continent Grand Total: 255,571 Reports I 100% Hidden Service: 7,067 Reports 0% Report Remove: 101 Reports 0% Nrntl1 /\111('riec1 South America: r, RE. :Jo•· Africa: 60 l~eports I 0% Europe (Inc Russia & Turkey): 167,809 Reports I 66% (i)IWF Asia: 4'.J,0L,8 Reports I 18% Austr;:i(asi,1 Top 10 hosting countries by numbers of reports Slovak Republic: Russian Federation: 13,28'..i Reports I '..i% France: 7.8Si !~(!ports I Internet Watch Foundation Reports I 1J'X, Bulgaria: j \___J 11,2',9 Reports I '•'X. Hong Kong: 12JSG Ruports I '/¼, Taiwan: 1 127 Rrports I 'J% Netherlands: 82.G0'J Reports I Malaysia: 7.381+ Rc,ports I 3% 68
The Annual Report 2022 {i)IWF
Numberofreports(URLSs)bycountry(fromnumber11onwards)
Source: IWF Annual Report 2022
Note:101instancesrefertoReportRemovewhereimages/videoshavebeen directlyreportedtoIWFandarethereforenotonlineandcannotbetracedtoa location.
Germany 5346 2% 3% -1% Romania 4993 2% 3% -1% Panama 4,101 2% 0% 1% Latvia 2826 1% 6% -5% Singap¢re 1,948 1% 0% 1% Ukraine 1,153 0% 0% 0% Onion URL 1,067 0% 0% 0% (Hidden Service) Finland 992 0% 0% 0% Iceland 839 0% 0% 0% Sweden 818 0% 0% 0% Moldova 782 0% 2% -2% United Kingdom 640 0% 0% 0% Switzerland 637 0% 1% -1% Luxembourg 585 0% 0% 0% China 424 0% #N/A #N/A Hungary 423 0% 1% 0% Azerbaijan 406 0% #N/A #N/A Korea (South) 372 0% 0% 0% Poland 370 0% 0% 0% Portugal 366 0% 0% 0% India 202 0% 4% -4% Vietnam 141 0% 0% 0% Japan 122 0% 0% 0% Report Remove 101 0% 0% 0% Czech Republic 100 0% 0% 0% Iran 96 0% 0% 0% Kazakhstan 90 0% 0% 0% Canada 59 0% 0% 0% South Africa 58 0% 0% 0% Turkey 33 0% 0% 0% Norway 30 0% #N/A #N/A Spain 25 0% 0% 0% Montenegro 24 0% 0% 0% Lithuania 22 0% 1% -1% Laos 19 0% 0% 0% Belize 19 0% #N/A #N/A New Zealand 12 0% 0% 0% Italy 6 0% 0% 0% Estonia 0% 0% 0% Ireland 4 0% 0% 0% Indonesia 4 0% 0% 0% Australia 4 0% 0% 0% Uruguay 4 0% #N/A #N/A Austria 4 0% #N/A #N/A Mauritius 1 0% 0% 0% Seychelles 0% 0% 0% Greece 1 0% 0% 0% Malta 1 0% #N/A #N/A Denmark 1 0% #N/A #N/A Chile 1 0% #N/A #N/A Cambodia 1 0% #N/A #N/A Brazil 1 0% #N/A #N/A
Internet Watch Foundation 69
In2022wecontinuedtoseeadecreaseintheproportionofchildsexualabuse URLsbeinghostedintheNetherlands,downto32%from41%in2021.The proportionofchildsexualabuseURLshostedintheUSalsodroppedin2022, downto15%from21%in2021.
URLshostedintheSlovakRepublicaccountedfor12%ofthechildsexual abuseimagerywetookactiononin2022;thisistheresultoftargetedwork focusingononeparticularimagehostwebsite.HostingservicesinHongKong, Bulgaria,MalaysiaandThailandhavealsobeenabusedinasimilarwaywhich isdiscussedinourForumsnapshotcasestudy.
Almostthreeineveryfive(59%)childsexualabusereportsweretracedto hostingservicesinEUMemberstates.
Somecriminalchildsexualabusesites,especiallythosecreatedspecificallyto shareimageryforcommercialgain,aredynamicanddeliberatelymovetheir hostingfromcountrytocountrytoavoidremoval.Wecontinuetotrackthese siteswhentheychangelocationandseektotakethemofflinewhereverthey go.Thistrendhasledtoseveralnewcountriesenteringthetop10hoststhis year.
Whatcanwedoaboutremovingthiscontent?
Wearecommittedtoplayingourpartgloballyintheremovalofcontent.
Weconstantlyinnovatetoachievethis.We’vesetup50ReportingPortals aroundtheworldaspartofourworkinpartnershipwiththeGlobalFund toEndViolenceAgainstChildren.Thishasenabledustodevelopvitallinks withotherNGOs,governmentsandpoliceservicesgloballytoremovethis content.
IntheEUweworkcloselywithEuropolandInterpolandtheLanzarote CommitteeoftheCouncilofEurope.Europolhaveproducedanumberof threatassessmentswhichhavereferencedmanysimilartrendswehave identifiedincludingariseinself-generatedcontent.
AsakeyorganisationwithintheINHOPEnetwork(InternationalAssociationof InternetHotlines)weworkcloselywithallotherINHOPEhotlinesaroundthe
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF Internet Watch Foundation 70
worldtoensurethatwealertourpartnerswhenwefindchildsexualabuse contenthostedintheircountry.IWFReportingPortalsareincludedunderthe INHOPEumbrella.
Additionally,we“chaseup”ourpartnersifthiscriminalimageryisnot removedquickly.
ViewtrendsanddatafortheUK.
(j)IWF Internet Watch Foundation 71
The Annual Report 2022
The Annual Report 2022
Geographical hosting: Domains
Unique domains
Thisisthesecondyearthatwehavepublishedtwocontrastingsetsofdomain analysisdata,withaviewtoprovidingadditionalinsightsintothedistribution andhostinghotspotsofchildsexualabuseimagesandvideosacrossdifferent countriesandinternetinfrastructures.
Specifically,whileURL-leveldataindicatesthenumberofreportsandactions requiredtonotifyandremovethiscontent,thatgranulardetailmayobfuscate theprevalence,ornumber,ofuniquedomainsidentifiedtobehostingchild sexualabusematerialwhenanalysedindifferentcontexts.
Forclarity,thediagrambelowsetsoutthedomainnamingconventionsused throughoutthisreport.
(i)IWF
Domain anywebsite.com1 1 L---' V ._,,,..-Second Top Level Level Domain Domain (TLD) Top 10 unique second level domains by host country Ukraine: Germany: HJO Du111,1111s France: l'iU Dorn,11ns Russian Federation: 71,0 Du111,1i11s '"'o•·:1 9 Hong l<ong: 70 Durn,1111s 'i::'___ 5 Bulgaria: 8'i 00111,1111'-, Hidden Service: 1,048 Domains U11ited Netherlands: 1.(lJI, Dorn,1ins Malaysia: It.. Do111,1111s Internet Watch Foundation 72
The Annual Report 2022
Numberofuniquesecondleveldomainsbycountry (fromnumber11onwards)
Host country Domains Moldova 53 Romania 48 United Kingdom 43 Panama 41 Latvia 31 China 30 Japan 29 Sweden 29 Portugal 24 Czech Republic 23 Canada 18 Poland 17 Singapore 16 Korea (South) 11 Taiwan 11 India 10 Thailand 10 Montenegro 9 Norway 9 Spain 7 Finland 6 Estonia 5 Iran 5 Kazakhstan 5 Lithuania 5 Austria 4 Turkey 4 Azerbaijan 3 Hungary 3 Switzerland 3 Indonesia 2 Ireland 2 Italy 2 Luxembourg 2 New Zealand 2 South Africa 2 Vietnam 2 Australia 1 Cambodia 1 Chile 1 Denmark 1 Greece 1 Iceland 1 Laos 1 Mauritius 1 Slovak Republic 1 Source: !WF Annual Report 2022 Internet Watch Foundation 73
(i)IWF
The Annual Report 2022
Thedatarepresentedaboveshowsthenumberofuniquewebsiteswe identifiedtobehostedineachcountry.Eachuniquewebsitewasonlycounted onceandattributedtoitshostcountryatthetimeofassessment.Ifawebsite changeditshostingcountrylocationatanypointduringtheyear,thenthesite wascountedineachofthelocationsitwasencountered.Thesenumbersdo notrepresenttheindividualnumberofURLsorreportsthatwereactionedfor eachuniquewebsite.
(j)IWF Internet Watch Foundation 74
Domain analysis
DomainDistribution:Inadditiontotheincreasednumberofreportsactionedin 2022,wealsoobservedanincreaseinthenumberofuniquesecond-level domainshostingchildsexualabusematerial.
Thenumberofuniquesecond-leveldomainsincreasedby17%from4,614 asidentifiedin2021to5,416in2022,representinganincreaseof802 domains.
Ofthe5,416uniquesecondleveldomainsidentifiedascarryingchild sexualabusematerial,overhalf(3,057or56%)wereclassifiedasbeing dedicatedtothesaleand/ordistributionofchildabuseimagesforfinancial gain.
Forclarity,thediagrambelowsetsoutthedomainnamingconventionsused throughoutthisreport.
The Annual Report 2022
Domain anywebsite.com ' •L-~ y Second Level Domain Top Level Domain (TLD) (i)IWF Number of unique domains abused to host child sexual abuse material 2022 5,416 2021 4,614 2020 5,590 2019 4,956 2018 3,899 2017 3,791 2016 2.416 2015 1,991 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 Number of unique domains SOurce IWf Mnual R(tpon. 2022 Internet Watch Foundation 75
The Annual Report 2022 ~IWF
Websitescontainingchildsexualabusecontentwereregisteredacross:
209topleveldomains(anincreasefromthe162TLDsidentifiedin2021)
97genericTop-LevelDomains(gTLDs),and
112countrycodeTopLevelDomains.
Domainsweretracedtohostingin55countries.
Fordomainanalysispurposes,thewebpages ofwww.iwf.org.uk,www.iwf.org.uk/report,and www.iwf.org.uk/what-we-doarecountedasonedomain:iwf.org.uk
NewGenericTop-LevelDomains,orgTLDs,continuetobereleasedtomeet thedemandandconsumerchoicefornewandexcitingtopleveldomain names,newTLDswilloftensparkinterestanddemandfromspecificsectors whichseektoaligntheirwebsiteorbrandtoaTLDe.g.,.bizisanattractive alternativeTLDchoiceforthebusinesssector.
OurmonitoringofTLDsshowsthattherehavebeensomesignificantchanges inthetop10listingsthisyear.Notablechangesincludethe.comTLDthathas historicallyalwaysappearedatthetopofourmostabuseddomainrankings,in 2022,itdroppedtosecondposition,areductionof63%representing83,241 fewerreportsthaninthepreviousyear.
Top ten TLDs by volume of actioned reports 7,038 (3%) 7,055 (3%) 8,801 (3%) 10,592 (4%) 32,120 (13%) 47,948 (19%) 5,120 (2%) r Internet Watch Foundation 4,097 (2%) 4,076 (2%) 94,083 (37%) •. pw •.com •. hr .ovh .to •. xyz .yt •. me •.cc •. ru Source: IWF Annual Report 2022 76
The.pwTLDwasthemostabusedTLDin2022with94,083confirmedreports. Itwaspreviouslylisted25thin2021when294childsexualabusereports wereidentified.Itsdramaticincreaseinabuseisdirectlyrelatedtoseveral imagehostsitesabusingthe.pwTLDandaccountedfor93%ofallthechild sexualabuseimageryidentifiedon.pw.
ThecountrycodeTLD.yt(FrenchregionMayotte)waspreviouslyunlistedin 2021,andsubsequentlyrosetofourthpositionasadirectresultofnefarious activityinvolvingtwoimagehostsites.Ironicallyneitheroftheimagehost siteswerehostedinFrance,butweretracedtobehostedintheNetherlands, RussianFederationandTaiwanatvariouspointsintheyear.
Whatcanwedoaboutthisabuse?
OurDomainAlertshelpourMembersinthedomainregistrationsectorprevent theabuseoftheirservicebypreventingcriminalsregisteringwebsiteswitha knownCSAMabusehistorybeingreregisteredonadditionalTLDs.
Domainanalysisbysecond-leveldomain
“www.badsite.com”–inthisURL,the‘.badsite’isthesecondleveldomainof thewebsiteaddress.
Wehavepublisheddataforthesecondconsecutiveyearwhichgivesadditional insightintothescaleandnatureofdomainsabusedtodistributechildsexual abusematerialacrossdifferentTLDs.
Weareabletoshowthenumberofuniquesecond-leveldomainsfoundtobe carryingchildsexualabusewheretheyaregroupedbytheTLDonwhichthey resided.
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF Internet Watch Foundation 77
The Annual Report 2022 (i)IWF .onion .com .ru .xyz .top .site .net .pw .nl Top 10 TLDs used for commercial and non-commercial distribution of child sexual abuse material (instances of unique second-level domains) 352 (6%) 695 (15%) 828 (16%) 1,048 (22%) .ga200 400 600 800 1,000 Number of second-level commercial and non-commercial domains 1,200 $au!(» J'Nf"Annu,,1~2022 .ru .onion .com .site .top .xyz .nl .com.ru .ga Top 10 TLDs used for commercial distribution of child sexual abuse material (instances of unique second-level commercial domains) 794 (23%) 876 (26~) .g, Ill 200 400 600 800 Number of second-level commercial domains 1,000 So11rce !Wf .wiu.1 Reoon 2022 Internet Watch Foundation 78
Second-levelTLDsspecificallyregisteredandusedforthecommercial distributionofchildsexualabuseshouldrightlybeapointoffocusandwe continuetoresearchadditionalwaystolocateandremovethesitesand disrupttheregistrationofnewsites.
Whatcanwedoaboutthis?
Byunderstandingmoreabouthowsecond-levelTLDsarespecifically registeredandusedforthecommercialdistributionofchildsexualabuse material,wecanmakethemapointoffocusforourwork.Wecontinueto researchnewwaystolocateandremovethesesitesanddisruptthe registrationofnewsitesforthispurpose.
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF Internet Watch Foundation 79
Top-level domain hopping
WhatisTop-leveldomainhopping?
“Top-leveldomainhopping”iswhenasite(e.g.,‘badsite.ru’)keepsitssecondleveldomainname(‘badsite’)butchangesitstop-leveldomain(‘.ru’),in essence,creatinganewwebsitetypicallywithdifferenthostingdetailsbut retainingthesitesidentifiable‘namebrand’.From‘badsite.ru’,multiple additionalsites‘badsite.ga’,‘badsite.ml’or‘badsite.tk’couldbecreated.This allowsinstancesofawebsitetopersistonlineaftertheoriginalhasbeentaken downwhilekeepingthewebsiterecognisableandeasytofindbyfollowersof thesite.
319dedicatedcommercialsecond-leveldomainswereidentifiedtohave hoppeddomainatleastoncein2022.
PleasenotethatnoTLDinstancesfrompreviousyearswerecountedinthis analysis,meaningthattobeincludedinthestatistics,thesiteshadtoexiston aminimumoftwodifferentTLDsin2022.
The Annual Report 2022
Top
.ru .top .site .online .nl .xyz .gr .click .net .pl 11 (3%) 10 (3%) 10 16 (5%) Internet Watch Foundation 18 (6%) 20 (6%) 22 (7%) 20 29 (9%) Number of domains 30 40 (i)IWF 46 (14%) so SOurai IWFAMullReport2022 80
10 TLDs abused in domain hopping (by number of domains)
The Annual Report 2022
Top
125second-leveldomainswerefoundtohavehoppedonce;
14hoppedtwice;
fourhoppedthreetimes;
onehoppedfivetimesinabidtoremainonlineandactiveinthe12-month monitoringperiod.
19countrieswereidentifiedashostingdomainhoppingsites.
Wefirstworkwithpartnerstoensurethatthesiteisremovedfromthe internet.Everysubsequenthop,however,thenrequiresanewactionbyour analyststore-enforcetheprevioustakedown(s)byactioningthesiteagainon thenewTLD.
Whentrackingthehostingcountry,wenotedthatsomesitesoftenchanged TLDbutremainedhostedintheoriginalhostcountry;othersitesshoweda preferencetochangehostingcountryaftereachTLDdomainchange, sometimesreturningtotheoriginallyidentifiedhostingcountryafteraperiod ofhostingelsewhereunderadifferentTLD.
Whatcanwedoaboutthis?
Domainsareallocatedandmanagedbyinternetregistriesandregistrars.Our ongoingworkinthisareawillenableustoidentifydomainsexploitingthe
(i)IWF
United States Russian Federation Netherlands GermanyFinlandFranceLatvia Panama I Bulgaria II Malaysia II 20 40 60 80 100 120 Number of domains Sou<eetwFAnnua!Rei:,ort2022 Internet Watch Foundation 81
10 hosting locations used by TLD hopping sites (by number of domains)
legitimateTLDmarketplace.WecontinuetoworkwithMemberstonotonly identifyandremovecriminalsitesbutoffernewpreventativemeasuresto guardagainstdomainshoppingtounsuspectingTLDs.
Wehopetoinvolvemoreregistrarsandregistriesinthefightagainstthis exploitativepracticein2023,andtothisendwehavestartedaservicefor Memberswhichprovidesanactive‘Watchlist’ofsecondleveldomain stringswhichcanbeusedtopre-warnregistriesandregistrarsofdomainsthat haveaprovenhistoryofdomainhoppingexclusivelyinthesaleandor distributionofchildsexualabusematerial.Thenewlistserviceisliveand availabletoMemberswishingtoaccessthisnewimportantdataset.
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF Internet Watch Foundation 82
The Annual Report 2022
Site types
In2022,asinpreviousyears,imagehostswerethewebsitetypemost frequentlyabusedbyoffendersdistributingchildsexualabuseimagery.These sitesprovide“storage”forimageswhicheitherappearondedicatedwebsites oraresharedwithinforums–anotherheavilyabusedsitetype.
Whenouranalystsseethistechnique,theyensurethewebsiteistakendown andeachoftheembeddedimagesisremovedfromtheimagehostingservice. Bytakingthistwo-stepaction,theimageisremovedatitssourceandfromall otherwebsitesintowhichitwasembedded,evenifthosewebsiteshavenot yetbeenfoundbyouranalysts.
Cyberlockerscontinuetobeexploitedbycriminalssharingchildsexualabuse imagery.Thesehigh-storagesitescanbeusedtoshareoneimageorvideoata time,oroneormorefoldersthatcouldpotentiallycontainhundredsofimages orvideosunderasingleURL.
Imagehostsalsoallowvastquantitiesofimagestobeindexedandsaved, howeverthesearenotaseasilyaccessibletothepublicasanimagehostor cyberlockersite.
Image host Image store Forum Cyberlocker Banner Website Blog Video channel Social network Search Top 10 site types12,954 (5%) • 8,357 (3%) 5,004 (2%) I 2,428 (1%) 11,307 (1%) 11,353 (1%) 11,232 (0%) 11,122 (0%) 20,000 25,429 (10%) 40,000 Internet Watch Foundation 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 140,000 160,000 Number of reports (i)IWF 180,000 195,661 (77%) 200,000 SOuroelWFA.rnmRepon.2022 83
Whatcanwedoaboutthis?
Ouraward-winningIWFHashList,launchedin2016,canhelpimagehoststo tacklethisabusebypreventingtheupload,sharingandstorageofknownchild sexualabuseimagesandvideos.
Aswellasremovingimagesandvideosfromforums,chatsitesandother platformswherechildsexualabuseimageryisshared,ouranalystsensurethat thesefilesaretakendownatsourcebylocatingtheimagehostsiteswhere theyareoftenstored.Thispreventsfurtherdistribution.
Paidforvsfreehostingservices
228,927URLs(90%)werehostedonafree-to-useservicewhereno paymentwasrequiredtocreateanaccountoruploadthecontent.
Intheremaining10%ofcases,thecontentwashostedonapaid-forservice, oritwasnotpossibletotellwhetherthehostingwasfreeorpaidfor.
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The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF
The Annual Report 2022
Commercial content
Wedefinecommercialchildsexualabuseimageryasimagesorvideosthat wereseeminglyproducedorbeingusedforthepurposesoffinancialgainby thedistributor.
Ofthe255,571webpagesweconfirmedascontainingchildsexualabuse imageryin2022,28,933(11%)werecommercialinnature.Thisisthesameas lastyear,whenwetookactionagainst28,390(11%)commercialwebpages.
Ofthecommercialsitesweactioned,weidentifiedanumberofdifferent paymentmethodsbeingoffered.
In2022weactioned1,025reportswherecommercialsiteswereofferinga paymentoption.
Acrossall1,025reportswefound1,366instanceswherecryptocurrencies wereofferedasatypeofpayment.Thesewereattributedto495uniqueURLs.
Unfortunately,duetorestrictionsonsomesites,notallpaymentmethods werevisible.40%ofthosewithnopaymenttypevisiblewereICAPsites.
FindoutmoreaboutourICAPsiteshere
Abuse of payment types for child sexual abuse imagery Virtual currency Credit card Money transfer I·, service 250 Internet Watch Foundation 500 750 1,000 Number of times identified (i)IWF 1,366 1,250 1,500 Source. IWF Annual Report 2022 85
Whatcanwedoaboutit?
Wemonitorandresearchanynewtrendswehaveobserved.Sharingthis intelligencewithoursisterhotlinesandlawenforcementagenciesmeansthat websitescanberemovedanddistributorscanbeinvestigated.
Anypaymentinformationdisplayedonthesecommercialwebsites–including cryptocurrencydetails–iscapturedandsharedwithourpartnersinthe financialindustry.Thishelpstopreventmisuseoftheirservicesanddisrupt furtherdistributionofthecriminalimagery.
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We’veidentifiedanewwayinwhichchildsexualabusematerialisbeing distributedwhichincreasestheriskofinternetusersstumblingacrossthis criminalmaterial.
These“invitechildabusepyramid”sites,orICAPsitesforshort,incentivise userstosharelinkstochildsexualabusesitesfarandwideina“scattergun” approachwithspamslinksonavarietyofplatformssuchassocialmediaand chatroomsamongothers.
Thecriminalsrunningthesitesbenefitfromincreasedwebtrafficand additionalincomewithoffenderspotentiallybuyingfurthervideosofchild sexualabuseandcreatingtheirownlinkstospamtoothers.
WefirstidentifiedthesesitesinJuly.Thousandsofreportshavenowbeen receivedbyourhotlinewhicharelinkedtothismethodofdistribution.
Whatcanwedoaboutthis?
We’vebeenbriefinglawenforcement,oursisterhotlinesandtechnology companiestoalertthemtothisnewwayofdistributingchildsexualabuse materialwhichputsinternetusersatgreaterrisk.Wewillcontinuetomonitor thiscloselythrough2023.
The Annual
2022 (j)IWF
Report
Internet Watch Foundation 87
ICAP sites
Dark web reports
Whatarehiddenservices?
Hiddenservicesarewebsiteshostedwithinproxynetworks–sometimesalso calledthedarkweb.Thesewebsitesarechallengingasthelocationofthe hostingservercannotbetracedusingnormalmethods.
In2022weidentified1,067newhiddenservices,upfrom931inThisisan increaseof15%.
Whatcanwedoaboutthis?
WeworkwiththeUK’sNationalCrimeAgencytoshareintelligenceonanynew hiddenserviceswhicharedisplayingchildsexualabuseimagery.Withthis intelligence,NCAcanworkwithnationalandinternationallawenforcement agenciestoinvestigatethecriminalsusingthesewebsites.
2022 (j)IWF
The Annual Report
Internet Watch Foundation 88
Commercial dark web reports
Since2016,wehaveseenarisingtrendin‘commercial’hiddenservices–dedicatedwebsitesofferingchildsexualabuseimageryforsale.
Ofthe1,067newly-identifiedhiddenservicesdistributingchildsexualabuse imageryin2022,848(79%)wereassessedasbeingcommercial.Duetothe anonymousnatureofhiddenservices,thesecommercialwebsitesincreasingly acceptpaymentinvirtualcurrenciesaswellascreditcards.
Whatcanwedoaboutthis?
WeworkwiththewiderpaymentsservicesindustryandourVirtualCurrency AlertshelpourMembersinthevirtualpaymentssectortoidentifypayments whichareassociatedwithchildsexualabuseimagery.Wecontinuetomonitor trendsinthesepaymentsandsharethisintelligencewithourpartners.
(j)IWF
The Annual Report 2022
Internet Watch Foundation 89
Commercial disguised websites
Whatarecommercialdisguisedwebsites?
Since2011,wehavebeenmonitoringcommercialchildsexualabusewebsites whichdisplaychildsexualabuseimageryonlywhenaccessedbya‘digital pathway’oflinksfromotherwebsites.Whenthepathwayisnotfollowed,or thewebsiteisaccesseddirectlythroughabrowser,legal(usually pornographic)contentisdisplayed.Thismeansitismoredifficulttolocateand investigatethecriminalimagery.
In2022,weuncovered5,525websitesusinga“digitalpathway”tohide childsexualabuseimagery.
Ofthe28,933commercialwebsitesoverall,3,074(11%)werealsousinga digitalpathway.
Itrepresentsadecreaseof42%onthe5,258commercialdisguised websitesidentifiedin2021.
Wesawasteepincreaseinimagehostsitesusingthis‘digitalpathway’in 2021.In2022,wefoundthatthistrendhasdecreased.Mostofthedisguised siteswetookactiononwerecommercialinnatureanddedicatedtodisplaying childsexualabuseimagery.
Disguisedwebsiteshavealsocontinuedtoexploit‘top-leveldomainhopping’ toavoiddetectionandremainonline.
Whatcanwedoaboutthis?
Weactivelymonitorthetechniquesusedbythesewebsitesinordertouncover thecriminalmaterialinordertogetitremoved.Wealsoshareintelligencewith ourpartnerstoenablethemtodothesame.
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UK hosted child sexual abuse imagery
UKhostingvolume
TheUKhostsasmallvolumeofonlinechildsexualabusecontent.
In2022,640URLsdisplayingchildsexualabuseimagerywerehostedin theUK,anincreaseof68%from381URLsin2021.
TheUKhosted0.25%ofallchildsexualabuseURLswhichIWFidentifiedin 2022.
433reportsrelatedtomultipleURLsidentifiedonthesamedayand attributedtoonehost.
In465cases,thecriminalcontenthadalreadybeenremovedbythetimewe receivedauthorisationfromthepolicetoinstigateitsremovalorithadmoved hostingcountryalready,leavinguswith175URLstotakeactionon.
32takedownnoticesrelatingtothe175URLsweresenttoUKhosting companies(wemightsendonenoticeforseveralwebpages).
UKChildsexualabusecontentremovalinminutes
Wehavetoactquickly.Thelongeranimagestayslive,themoreopportunity thereisforoffenderstoviewandshareit,andmoreharmiscausedtothe victims.
Inpartnershipwiththeonlineindustry,wepushtosecuretherapidremovalof thiscontent.The‘takedown’clockticksfromthemomentweissueatakedown noticetothehostingcompany,tothetimethecontentisremoved.
Fastestremoval:3minutes
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UK child sexual abuse content removal time in minutes
16companies’servicesintheUKwereabusedtohostchildsexualabuse imagesorvideosduring2022.
WeissuetakedownnoticestoUKcompanies,whetherthey’reinIWF membershipornot.
AllcompanieswhowereabusedwerenotIWFMembers.
Whatcanwedoaboutthis?
Weuseaminimumofthreepiecesoftechnologytotracethehostinglocation, thenissueatakedownnoticetothecompanywhichishostingthematerial. Lawenforcementareconsultedduringthisprocessandevidenceisretained forinvestigation.
AlthoughtheURLnumbersarerelativelysmallcomparedtotheglobal problem,it’simportantthattheUKremainsahostileplaceforcriminalstohost thiscontent.
~IWF
The Annual Report 2022
12 (38%) 1 (3%) Internet Watch Foundation 19 (59%) • more than 120 mins • 120 mins or less 60 mins or less
2022 92
Source: IWF Annual Report
Non-photographic child sexual abuse
IWF’sremitincludestheidentificationandremovalofUK-hostednonphotographic(ProhibitedImages)childsexualabuseimagesandvideos.
In2022,wetookactionon285reportsofnon-photographicchildsexual abuseimagery(a22%increasefrom2021).However,afterourassessment, noneofthesewereconfirmedasUK-hostedcontent.
Attheendof2022,324uniqueURLsofnon-photographicchildsexualabuse imagerywerelistedontheNPIURLList.18IWFMemberssubscribetothis service.
Whatcanwedoaboutthis?
TheUKisoneofthefewcountriesintheworldwherenon-photographicchild sexualabuseimageryiscriminal.
IfwefindthiscontenthostedintheUK,weissueanoticetothehosting providerwhoremovesit.Thishasn’thappenedintheUKsince2016.However, thistypeofcontentdoesexistonlineandifUK-hosted,wouldfailUKlaws.
Technologycompanieswanttheflexibilityofbeingabletoblockandfilteritto preventtheircustomersfromstumblingacrossit.
Therefore,wecreatedtheNPIList,whichcontains,drawings,computergeneratedimagery(CGI)andothernon-photographicrepresentationsofchild sexualabusewhichishostedoutsideoftheUK.
TheURLsprovidedintheNPIListarethosedeemedatthetimeofassessment tobreachUKlegislation,specificallySections62to69oftheCoronersand JusticeAct2009.Severalinternationaltechnologycompaniesusethislistto protecttheirservicesfortheircustomers.
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IWF URL List
Weprovidealistofwebpagescontainingchildsexualabuseimagesandvideos hostedoutsideoftheUKtocompanieswhowanttoblockorfilterthemfor theirusers’protection,andtopreventtherepeatedvictimisationofthe childrenintheimages.Weupdatethelisttwiceaday,removingandadding URLs.
During2022:
Thelistwassentacrossallsevencontinents.
Atotalof230,922uniqueURLswereincludedonthelist(a14%increase on203,234in2021).
Onaverage,1,029newURLswereaddedeachday(1,001in2021).
Thelistcontainedanaverageof11,488URLsperday(a108%increase from5,526in2021).
(j)IWF
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CaseStudies
What it is like to lead the IWF Hotline ,
AsIWFHotlineManager,TamsinMcNallyguidesandsupportsabusyteam whohavetheverydifficultbutimportantjobofviewingandassessingchild sexualabuseimageryeveryday.
Inarecentblog,sheprovidesinsightintoatypicalworkingday,whereshe managesbothour14-strongteamofHotlineAnalystswhoassesspublic reportsandensurecriminalcontentisremoved,aswellastheTaskforceteam of14whoviewandgradehundredsofimagesadayfortheUKGovernment’s ChildAbuseImageDatabase.
Herdaysarevariedandinvolveherbeingabletoswitchfrompresenting meetingsforexternalpartners,suchaslawenforcementwithwhomwework closely,toprovidingadvicetoadistressedmemberofthepublicwhohas stumbledacrosschildsexualabusecontentonline.
Intheblog,Tamsin,whohasbeenwiththeIWFformorethaneightyears, stresseshowimportantitisthatshelooksafterthewelfareofherteam,whom sheregardsassomeofthebestpeopleshehaseverworkedwith.
Tamsinsays:“Peoplesaythatthisisoneofthehardestjobsoutthere.It’snot rightforeveryone,butthepeopleworkingheremakemesoridiculouslyproud. Theyarefantasticpeopledoinganincrediblydifficult,butimportant,job.”
ReadTamsin’sbloginfull.
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Forumsareonlinediscussionwebsiteswhereindividualscanpostmessages, images,andreplies.Thepostsaregenerallyorganisedbyathreadortopic.
ForumsgenerateavastamountofworkforIWFanalystsbutthisisnotoften apparentwiththedatawepresentinourannualreport.
In2022,ourdatashowsthatjust5%ofchildsexualabuseimagerythatthe IWFfindsareonforums.Butforumspullinavastnumberofimagesand videosfromothertypesofwebsitesknownasimagehostingsites andcyberlockers.Thisoftendisguisesthefactthatforumsareamainculprit forspreadingchildsexualabusematerialontheinternet.
Forumsarealsocomplex:Theirremovalisdifficultastheyoftenhostlegal contentaswellasillegal,hencewecannotsimplygetaforumremovedat domainlevel,meaningtheentireforumwouldberemoved.Inaddition,they movehostregularly,makingpermanentremovalverydifficulttosecure. Therefore,wedecidedtocarryoutthissnapshotstudy.
Thepurposeofthestudywastorecordinformationaboutforumswhilethe forumswerestill“live”andtoprovideaninsightintothecomplexityofgetting childsexualabusematerialonforumsremoved.Wehopethattheinformation hereisusefultoothersworkinginthisspace.
ForumsarecommonlyreportedtotheIWFbythepublic Inaddition,analystsoftenvisitforumstoproactivelysearchforchildsexual abusematerial.
Arguablyforumsprovidethebiggestsourceofallproactiveworkgiventhe volumeofimagesfoundoneachpage.Forumsaremassive;therewill bemultipletopicswithinaforumandeachtopiccontainsmanythreadsand eachthreadcancontainmanypagesallfullofimagesandlinkstopotential childsexualabusematerial(CSAM).Unlessbothsexesareinvolvedinsexual activityinanimage,contentofboysandgirlstendtoremaininseparate placeswithinaforum.Oftenaproportionoftheforumwillcontainlegal content,whichmakesitdifficulttoremovethewholeforumseeingasthe
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Forums
wholeforumisnotactuallyillegal.Therefore,analyststendto“action” (performasetoftaskswhichleadtotheremovaloftheimages/videos)at threadlevelopposedtothedomainlevel.
Forumsthatarededicatedtohostingchildsexualabusematerial predominatelycontainself-generatedcontent.Thisiswheretheabuserisnot physicallypresentwiththeirvictimbutisoftendirectingorcoercingthechild intoperformingsexualactsviawebcam.Occasionallychatscanbeseen betweenthechildandpersonattheotherendofthecamera.
Howforumsareabused
Veryoften,apersonabusingaforumforchildsexualabusematerialwill uploadimagesthatarehostedelsewhereonadifferentdomain,suchasan imagehostingsite.Inaddition,beneatheachimage,alinkispostedwhich appearstocontainthewholevideototheimagethattheviewerhasbeen presentedwith.Thislinkishostedonadifferentdomaintooanditoften requirespaymenttodownloadthevideo.
WhenIWFanalyststakestepstoremovetheillegalimagesandvideoshosted withinaforum,theyneedtotracewhereintheworldthecontentishosted.If thecountrywherethecontentishostedhasahotline,theinformationissent tothathotlineinthefirstinstance.Ifthecountrydoesnothaveahotline,the analystpassesthisinformationontolawenforcement.Inbothinstancesifthe contentremainslive,andtheIWFhasnotbeeninformedofanongoingpolice investigation,theanalystwillsendanoticetothecompanythatishostingthe contentonitsserversrequestingforthecontenttoberemoved.
Methodology
Forumchoice:
Threeforumsthatareknowntohostchildsexualabusematerialwere examinedduringthestudy:
Forum1ispredominantlyknownforhostingimagesofboys.Thesexual abuseimageryonthisforumwasremovedondaytwoofthestudy(this couldhavebeenasaresultofIWFaction–thisisexplainedfurtherdownin thestudy)andbeforeenoughdatahadbeencollected.
Forum2ispredominantlyknownforhostingimagesofgirls.Thissexual
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The Annual Report 2022
abuseimageryonthisforumwasalsoremovedondaytwoofthestudy,but alargequantityofdatahadalreadybeencaptured.
Inbothinstancestheforumsremainedlive,howeveralltheimagesweretaken down/removedfromthepage.Thelinkstothevideospostedundereach imageremainedonthepage.However,accesstothesevideosrequires paymentandtheIWFdoesnotgobeyondpaymentbarriers,thereforethelinks werenotaccessibletodownload.Thisdidnotposeaprobleminthedata collectiongiventhattherearesomanyforumsdedicatedtohostingchild sexualabusematerial.Hence,onemoreforumwaschosentocontinuewith thedatacollectionasenoughdatahadalreadybeencollectedofgirls.
Forum3wasaddedondaythreeofthestudy,whichhousedsexualabuse imageryofboysandthiswassubstitutedforforum1toenableenoughdata tobecaptured.
Timespentonforumexamination:
Onehourperday,atroughlythesametimeeachday,wasspentexaminingthe pagesofthechosenforums.Thistookplaceoverafour-dayperiod.However, pleasenotethatthiswasjustthreedaysfortheboyforumsduetothecontent becomingunavailableandtherebeinglesscontenttofind.Werecordeda varietyofinformationtohighlightwhatgoesoninforumsandshowhowthey operate.Thisinformationincludes:
Dateandtimechecked;
Threaddateandtime;
ForumURL;
Sexofchild;
Agecategories;
Self-generatedornot;
Websiteoftheimagesbeingpulledintotheforum;
Websitethatthevideolinkcomesfrom;
Ifapremiumisrequiredtodownloadthevideo;
Paymentmechanismstodownloadvideos;
Howmanychildrenseenintheimages;
Iftheoffenderispresentintheimage;
Theroominthehousewheretheabusetookplace;
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Hostingcountryoftheforum;
Usernameoftheuserpostingcontent;
IftheimageshavebeenseenbeforebytheQualityAssurance(QA)Officer;
Anythingofnotethatstoodoutintheimages.
AbouttheQualityAssuranceOfficeratIWFwhocollectedthedata
TheIWFstaffmemberwholedthestudyhasworkedattheIWFfor14years. ShewasanInternetContentAnalystfor13yearsbeforebecomingaQuality AssuranceOfficer.Bothrolesrequiretheassessmentandcheckingoflarge volumesofchildsexualabusematerialonadailybasis.Duringthattime,she hasseenmanyvictimsofchildsexualabuse.
Toplevelfindings
Analysisofcontentshowingboys:
53imagesofboyswererecorded,58%oftheimagesofboyswereofaselfgeneratednature.
Moreboyswereseenengaginginsexualactivity,inaself-generated setting,whileotherchildrenwerepresent.
Inboys,themostfrequentageseenwas11-13years.
Boysoftenappeartobeunder-representedinthedataintermsofvolume, howevertheyaremorelikelytobeassessedasCategoryAandCategoryB (moreseverecategories).
42%ofboyshadnotbeenseenbeforebytheQualityAssuranceOfficer whocollectedthedata.
Analysisofcontentshowinggirls:
80imagesofgirlswererecorded,100%oftheimagesofgirlswereofa self-generatednature.
Girlsaremorelikelytoengageinself-generatedcontentwithnoother childrenpresent.
Girlsaged7-10werethemostfrequentlyseen.
84%ofthegirlshadnotbeenseenbeforebytheQualityAssuranceOfficer whocollectedthedata.
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The Annual Report 2022 (i)IWF
Categoriesofchildsexualabuseimageryfound:
Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism.
Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity
Category C: Other indecent images not falling within categories A or B.
Not actionable: Reports where the person depicted could not be confirmed as a child.
Fourpercentoftheimageswereborderlineonage.Forthepurposesofthis study,thiswascategorisedas“Adult?”.PleasenotethatAdult?hasbeen representedintheagechartbelow.Adult?meansthatthereisthepossibility oftheperson(s)intheimagebeingunder18yearsold,butanaccurate assessmentonagecouldnotbeascertained.Weseevastlyfewerboysin forums;however,thecategoriesofboysaregenerallymoreseverewhichis alsoreflectedinthedatacollection.
Source: IWF Annua! Report 2022 Forums
Category A: Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism.
Category B: Images involving non-penetrative sexual activity
Category C: Other indecent images not falling within categories A or B
Child none: Where a child has been identified in the image but the image is not found to contain child sexual abuse
Adult?: There is the possibility of the person(s) in the image being under 18 years old, but an accurate assessment on age could not be ascertained.
Source J\lv"F Annual Report 2022
case
5 (9%) 27 (51%) 2 (4%) 19 (36%) • •
Forums
study: severity of abuse where victims were boys
case study: severity of abuse
victims
17 21%) 43 (54%) 2 (3%) Internet Watch Foundation 5 (6%) • • • •
where
were girls
100
The Annual Report 2022
Childnoneisnotanactionablecategory,butithasbeenrepresentedinthe datahereas21%ofthegirlswereseenappearingtobeintheearlystagesof revealingthemselvestothecamera,forexamplethegirlmayhavebeeninher underwearorstartingtoundresswhichdoesnotmeetthethresholdforfurther action.
Wewereconfidentthat97%oftheimagesseencontainedchildren.
0-2 3-6 7-10 11-13 14-15 16-17 Adult? Forum case study: ages of boys seen across the forum 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 10 (19%) 9 (17%) I fo%) f.,.) 10 15 20 Number of images Age0-2 Age14-15 Age 3-6 • Age16-17 • Age7-10 • Adult? Ad11l11:Thete,.theOOS$1bo~1yot1heperson(s),nlhe,maaebe<nSunder18YQtSold, bu! Wl IOCVl'iilfl a5SeUffle!'ll on qecouldnot beD50tltatned Age 11-13 Internet Watch Foundation (i)IWF 32 (60%) 25 30 35 Sourer IWF Al'ln.lal Repon 2022 101
The Annual Report 2022
Forum case study: ages of girls seen across the forum
A,d1,j\t7cThe<e1StheposJlbol,tyofthepe,son(s)or1&1e>u,iaget,e,na~18)'Nl'Sold. buten.oi:vr•teil$$M$IT>e01on-,ecouldnotbe~•"9d
Numberofchildrenseeninindividualimages:
72%oftheimagesshowed1boypresentintheimage.
17%oftheimagesshowed2boyspresentinthesameimage.
6%oftheimagesshowed3boysbeingpresentinthesameimage.
Oneimageshowed8childrenpresent(7boysand1girl)howeverthiswas agridimagewheremultipleimageshadbeenmergedintoonelargeimage.
4%accountedforAdult?images(male)
90%oftheimagesshowedgirlsontheirowninanimage
8%oftheimagesshowed2girlsbeingpresentinthesameimage
3%accountedforAdult?images(female)
0-2 3-6 7-10 11-13 14-15 16-17 Adult?
0 (0%) 1 (1%) 0 (0%) Ir 0 %) f3%) 10 20 30 Number of images Age0-2 Age 14-15 Age 3-6 • Age7-10 • Agell-13 • Age16-17 • Adult?
Internet Watch Foundation 36 (45%) 40 41 (51%) (i)IWF 50 $ourc;elVJF"""""Repooi2022 102
The Annual Report 2022 (i)IWF Forum case study: total number of boys seen in an individual image Adult? Ill 1child 2 children 3children 8 children I [2,., 0 9 (17%) 10 15 20 Number of images Adult?: There ,s the possib,1,ty ol the person{s) In !he image bemg under 18 years old, but an accurate assessment on age cou!d not be ascertained 25 30 35 38 (72%) 40 Source, IWF Annual Rep()rt 2022 Forum case study: total number of girls seen in an individual image Adult? I f3 %J 1child 2children 0 10 20 30 40 Number of images Adult?: There 1Sthe possibillty of lhe person(s) m the 1mage be,ng under 18years old, but an accurate aSS8'SSment on age could no1 be ascertamed Internet Watch Foundation 50 60 72 (90%) 70 80 Source: IWf Annual Report 2022 103
The Annual Report 2022
case study: rooms where the abuse of girls was depicted
Withtheexceptionofthe‘unknown’category,therewasnotagreatdifference betweengirlsandboysinroomswherethechildsexualabuseimageryhad beencaptured.
Asexpected,the‘bedroom’wasthemostrecordedroom,accountingfor57% fortheboysand41%forthegirls.Thisisnotsurprisinggiventhatmostofthe imageswereself-generatedandthebedroomisthemostlikelyplacethata childwillbealonewithadevice.Ofcourse,somesiblingsmaysharearoom andinoneinstanceachildwasseenontheirdevicesittingonabunkbed.
Forum
Bathroom Bedroom Living room Other/unusual Unknown 0 9 (17%) 10 15 20 25 Number of images
Bathroom Bedroom Living room Other/unusualUnknown 8 (15'6) 11 (21'6) 10 Internet Watch Foundation 15 20 Number of images 25 (47%) 25 30 (i)IWF 30 (57%) 30 Source IWF Annual Rep011 2022 33 (62%) 35 Source. IWF Annu;al Report 2022 104
case study: rooms where the abuse of boys was depicted
Forum
‘Unknown’wasthenexthighestrecordedroom.Intheseinstances,theroom couldnotbeidentifiedastheseimagestendedtobecloseupshotsofthe child’sgenitalsandnotmuchelsecanbeseenintheimage.Thisaccountedfor 17%fortheboysand31%ofthegirls.
Duringtheexaminationoftheimagery,wewerealsoabletoidentifyother typesofroomswhicharelesscommontosee.Examplesof‘unusualrooms’ foundincludeapublicchangingroom,outsideinafield,ashed,ahallwayand aplayroomwherelotsoftoysandababychangingunitwereidentified.
Self-generatedcontentvsnotself-generatedcontent
Thetermself-generatedindicatesthattheabuserisnotphysicallypresent withthechildandthechildhasbeengroomed,coercedorencouragedinto creatingthecontentthemselves.Itisvitaltorememberthatchildrenarebeing groomedonlineandinstructedtoengageinthisbehaviour.
53imagesofboyswererecorded(51imageswereconfirmedascriminal).
58%oftheimagesappearedtobeself-generatedcontent.
25%oftheimagescontainedtheabuser.
13%oftheimagesdidnotcontaintheabuser,however,didnotappearto beself-generatedcontenteither(abuserpresumedpresenthowever, outsideoftheimage).
4%oftheimageswereAdult?
Outof80imagesofgirlsrecorded(62imageswereconfirmedascriminal) noneoftheimagescontainedanabuserandalloftheimagesappearedtobe self-generatedcontent.
100%oftheimagesofgirlswereself-generated.
Thisisnotsurprisingasmostself-generatedcontentthatweseeisofgirls.
Howforumsoperate
Threeforumswereusedfordatacollection(twoforimageryofboysandone forimageryofgirls).Generally,thepostswereuploadedbythesameuseron eachoftheforumschecked.
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Forums,threads,pageschecked: Forum1(boys):Onethreadcheckedover4pages.40imageswerefoundin totalbeforetheforumwentoffline.
Forumtwo(girls):Threethreadscheckedover10pages.73imageswere foundononethread,4imagesonthesecondthreadand3imagesonthethird threadbeforetheforumwentoffline.
Forum3(boys):Onethreadcheckedovertwopages.13imageswerefoundin total.
Theabovedemonstrateshowmanyimagescanbefoundwithinathreadand howpageswithinathreadcanvaryinvolume.Acrossthethreeforums,five threadswerecheckedandreturned133images.
ThirdPartyHosts:
Forum1(boys):Twothirdpartyhostswereidentified.100%oftheimages foundonthepagewerehostedonanexternalsiteknownasanimagehosting site.Thismeanstheimageswerebeingpulledinfromadifferentwebsite.A linkunderneatheachimagewasfound.Thesetypesofsitesareknownas cyberlockersites.Everysingleimagehadalinktoacyberlockersite,which undoubtedlycontainedthefullvideoofthecontent,howeverpaymentwas requiredandthereforethiscouldnotbeaccessedorverified.Thecyberlocker sitewasthesameonethroughoutthethreadschecked.
Forum2(girls):Twothirdpartyhostswereidentified.Onceagain100%ofthe imageswerehostedonanexternalsiteknownasanimagehostingsiteand thereforewerebeingpulledinfromelsewhere.Alinkunderneatheveryimage wasfoundgoingtoacyberlockersite.Onceagain,gainingaccesstothevideos requiredpaymentandastheIWFdoesnotbreachpaymentbarrierswe thereforecouldnotaccessthem.Thecyberlockersitewasthesameone throughoutthethreadschecked.
Forum3(boys):Forum3wasdifferentinthatnoneoftheimageswerebeing pulledinfromanexternalsite.Onthisoccasion100%oftheimagesonthe pageswerehostedonthesamedomainastheforumitself,whichgenerally speaking,isnotcommon.However,twothirdpartyhostswereidentified.Like theothertwoforums,everyimagehadalinkunderneathitgoingtoa
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cyberlockersiteappearingtocontainthefullvideoofthecontent.Thistime2 differentcyberlockersiteswereidentified.
(Pleasenotetheimagehostingsitesandcyberlockersitesweredifferentinall threeforums).
Apartfromafewvideolinkswhichwereoffline,allvideosrequiredpaymentto download.Eachforumofferedmultiplepaymentmethods.Thepayment optionsremainedthesameforeveryvideolinkwithinthatforum,however, variedacrossthethreeforums.Thebelowchartshowshowmanypayment methodswereofferedforeachforum.
Theabovehighlightstheoverallpaymentoptionsbeingofferedtomakea paymenttodownloadthevideosandcoversthefollowingpayment mechanisms:banktransfer,creditcard/debitcard,mobilepayment,money transferservices,virtualcurrencies,andvirtualgiftcards.Thegraphbelow illustratesthisfurther.Pleasenotethisisacrossallthreeforums:
(i)IWF
5 16 20 Internet Watch Foundation • Forum 1
Forum 2 (girls) Forum 3 (boys) Source• IWFAnnual Report 2022 107
Forum case study: number of payment options offered within each forum
(boys)
The Annual Report 2022 (i)IWF
Thegraphshowsthatmoneytransferserviceswerethemostcommon paymentmechanismtobeofferedasameansofpayment.
Wecreateahash(digitalfingerprint)oftheimagesthataredisplayedon forums.ThesehashesarethenmadeavailabletoMembersoftheIWFundera strictlicencetoenablethemtostoptheupload,sharingandstorageofimages matchingthesehasheswithintheirplatformsandservices.
Thecomplexityofforumhosting
AlltheforumsexaminedwerehostedineitherHongKongorMalaysia.Content doesnotusuallycomedowneasilyorquicklyineitherofthesecountries,given thatneithercountryhasahotline.Intheseinstances,theIWFanalystwho identifieschildsexualabusematerialwhichishostedinthesecountries notifiestheUK’sNationalCrimeAgency(NCA).
Analystsinourhotlineareallocatedcountriestolookafterandifthecontent continuestostayavailableforaperiodoftimeafternotifyingtheNCA,the analysttheninformsthehostcompanydirectlywiththeintentionthatthehost willtakethecontentdown.Withalloftheseforums,wehadinformedthehost. Therefore,itispossiblethattheimagesonForum1whichhadbeenremoved duringthisstudywasasaresultofouranalyst’sworkinnotifyingthehost.
Bank transfer Credit card/ Debit card Mobile payment Money transfer service Virtual currenciesVirtual gift cards Internet Watch Foundation 4 10 12 Number of times identified Source l'Nf Mllual Repon 2022 108
Forum case study: number of times payment mechanisms were offered across all three forums
Forumshostingchildsexualabusematerialwilloftenappeartoberemoved fromtheinternetbutanalystsknowthatthesearenottrulytakendown,often justfromthemessagethatisreceivedwhenloadingtheURL.Weseetimeand timeagainhow,afterjustafewdays,theforumwillbeliveagainbutthistime withanewhostandperhapsanewhostingcountry.Everycountryhasitsown setoflawsandregulations,andsomehotlineshaveabetterrapportwithlaw enforcementthanothers.Allofthesefactorsinfluencehowquicklyasite hostingchildsexualabusematerialgoesoffline.
Forum1(boys’imagery):ThiswashostedinHongKong.AnIWFanalyst notifiedthehostandrequestedthatthecontentberemovedinearly September2022andtheimageswerenolongeravailableonthepageaweek later.Thelinkswerestillliveonthepage,howeverapremiumaccountwas requiredtoaccessthecontent,meaningthecontentwasbeingsold.
Forum2(girls’imagery):ThiswashostedinHongKong.AnIWFanalyst notifiedthehosttorequestthatthecontentberemovedinearlySeptember 2022andtheimageswerenolongeravailabletwoweeks’later.
Forum3(boys’imagery):ThiswashostedinHongKong.AnIWFanalyst notifiedthehostinmid-September2022.Onthesamedaythehostingmoved toMalaysiaandouranalystcreatedanewreport,itwasthenpassedontolaw enforcement,howeverbeforethenewhostcouldbenotified,theforummoved hostingbacktoHongKongtheverynextday.Thishighlightshowwily operatorsofforumscanbeandhowdifficultitcanbetogettheforumoffline. Thisparticularforumhasbeenaroundforsometimeandfirstactionedbythe IWFinDecember2019.Ithaschangedhostingmanytimesandhasbeen actionedbytheIWFinmanydifferentlocationsallaroundtheworld,most recentlyintheUK.Thesitebecameofflinequicklyduetotheanalysts’ persistenceinchasingupourlawenforcementpartners.
Ageofthepostsontheforums
Forum1(imageryofboys):Thisforumhadpostsdatingbackamonth(atthe timeofdatacollection).
Forum2(imageryofgirls):Allpostscontainingchildsexualabusematerial werepostedinApril/Mayof2022andthereforewereafewmonthsoldatthe
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF Internet Watch Foundation 109
timeofdatacollection.Therearemanymoreimagesofgirlsanditappears thatnewercontentisreadilyavailable.
Forum3(imageryofboys):Thesecondforumfeaturingboyswasdifferent. Halfofthepostsrecordedweretwomonthsoldandtheotherhalfweretwo yearsold.GenerallyspeakingacrossIWF’swork,weseefewerimagesofboys thatweareconfidentindeterminingareundertheageof18years,which meansthatthesameimagesofboysaremorelikelytobere-postedtimeand timeagain.Indeed,inForum3acoupleofimageshaddatesstampedon them;onedatedbackalmost30yearsto1994andtheotheroneto1998.
Imageryofnewvictims
Oftenimagesarereposted,duplicatedandeditedleadingtomultiplecopiesof imagesbeingpostedonline.Consequently,weoftenseeimagesofthesame childrenoverandoveragain.
TheQualityAssuranceofficerwhocollectedthedataforthisstudywas interestedtorecordwhethershehadseenthechildvictimsbefore(seethe sectionaboveabouttheexperienceofthisperson).Basedonthismemberof staff’sknowledge,sherecognisedjust16%ofthegirlsthatwererecorded comparedwith58%oftheboysseen.
Thisdifferenceisnotsurprising,giventhattherearemanymoreimagesofgirls seeninthistypeofabuse(self-generated).Asmentionedbefore,fewerimages ofboysmeansthatthesameimageryismorelikelytobere-postedtimeand time.
Insummary
Thiscasestudywascarriedouttocapturethecomplexityofremovingchild sexualabuseimageryonforums.Ithasalsoprovidedaninsightintothenature ofchildsexualabusematerialfoundwithinjustthreeforums.
ForumsgeneratealargeamountofworkforIWFanalysts.Theremovalof forumsisdifficultastheyoftenhostlegalcontentaswellasillegal,henceitis oftenthethread/pagewhichisactionedratherthanthewholeforumatdomain level.
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF Internet Watch Foundation 110
Inaddition,theymovehostregularly,makingpermanentremovalverydifficult.
Asforumspullinavastnumberofimages/videosfromothertypesof websitesitmeansthatforumsareamainculpritforthewideandglobal distributionofchildsexualabuseimagesandvideosandplayakeyrolein thecontent’smonetisation.
The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF Internet Watch Foundation 111
IWFisplayingakeyroleinfinding,removingandhashing(creatingdigital fingerprints)childsexualabuseimagerycreatedbyjailedonlinesexual predator,AbdulElahi.
InDecember2021,Elahiwasjailedfor34yearsfollowingapoliceoperation calledOperationMakedom.Heprolificallyabusedadultsandchildrenonline. Hegroomedhisvictimstoabusethemselves,theirsiblingsandotherchildren, selling“boxsets”oftheabuseonline,accordingtotheNationalCrimeAgency (NCA).
Elahiadmitted158chargesagainst72complainants,althoughthetrue numberofvictimsisestimatedtobenearer2,000,withagesrangingfrom adulttochildrenasyoungaseightmonthsold.
In2021wefoundandeffectedtheremovalof1,600webpagesfeaturing imagesofElahi’svictims.Throughout2022wecontinuedsearchingandfound afurther1,312webpagescontainingimagesofthesameeightvictimsknown tous.Thissignificantamountofchildsexualabusematerialrelatestojusta smallproportionoftheestimatednumberofvictimsinthiscase.Weestimate therearelikelythousandsmoreimagesstilltofind.
Ofthosewebpageswediscoveredin2022:
Almostathird(31%)weregradedCategoryA,themostseriouskindof childsexualabuse,depictingpenetration,sadismordegradation.This illustratesthehorrificnatureofElahi’scrimes.
90%wereimagesofgirls,and
Insevenoutof10instances(70%)theywereimagesofchildrenaged1617yearsold.
Challengeswithverifyingimageryofolderteenagers:
Theagesofolderteensweseebeingabusedonlineareoftenparticularly difficulttodeterminewithoutformalidentificationandageverification.Thanks
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Operation Makedorn
toourpartnershipworkwiththeNationalCrimeAgency,wehavethe informationweneedtoidentify–withcertainty–thattheimagesweare findingareofchildvictims.Itthereforeenablesustotakeactiononthose imagesofyoungpeoplethatotherwisemaynotbeidentifiedaschildren.
Duetohowweseechildsexualabuseimagerybeingrepeatedlysharedonline, webelievethatwe’llkeepfindingimagesofElahi’svictimsforyearstocome.
WhilethesuccessfulconvictionofAbdulElahiisgoodnews,sadlyhisarrestin 2018wasn’ttheendoftheabuseforhisvictims.Thosehetargetedstillsuffer astheirimagescontinuetobecirculatedonlineandthisrepeatedtraumacan bedevastatingandlonglasting.
Thiscasehighlightstheimportanceandthepositiveimpactofourworkin helpingtoendthisrevictimisationcyclebyremovingthisimageryfromthe internetandprovidinghashes(digitalfingerprints)toourMemberstoprevent itfromcirculatingfurther.
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Category A child sexual abuse
an IWF snapshot study
Preface
InherfinalreportintheIndependentInquiryintoChildSexualAbuse(IICSA), ProfessorAlexisJayOBE,theinquiry’schair,callsforplainandclearlanguage tobeusedwhentalkingaboutchildsexualabuse.Shesaidinheropening statementtothefinalreport:
“Wealsoneedtousethecorrectwordstodescribetheactionsofabusers–masturbation,analandoralrape,penetrationbyobjects–thesewordsarestill notconsideredacceptabletermsbymanyinpublicandprivatediscourse. Everyincidentofabuseisacrimeandshouldnotbeminimisedordismissedas anythingless,ordownplayedbecausedescriptionsoftheabusemightcause offence.”
Sheisright.AnditisthankstoherremarksthatIWFhasdecidedtomakethis datapubliclyavailable,andtodescribewhatwe’reseeingasaccuratelyaswe can.
Ifwecannotbebraveenoughtousetherightwordstodescribethetruehorror ofwhatchildrenarecoercedtodo,howcanweexpectchildrentobebrave enoughtousetherightwordsandtotalktotrustedadultsaboutwhatis happeningtothemonline?
Background
TheIWFhasbeentrackinganincreasein‘self-generated’dataof7-to10year-oldchildren.We’vealsopublisheddataovermanyyearsrelatingtoan increaseintheamountof‘self-generated’childsexualabusematerialinthe formofstudies,andthe2021IWFannualreport.
Weassesschildsexualabusematerialaccordingtothelevelsdetailedin theSentencingCouncil’sSexualOffencesDefinitiveGuideline.The
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IndecentPhotographsofChildrensection(Page34)outlinesthedifferent categoriesofchildsexualabusematerial.
CategoryAisdefinedas:Imagesinvolvingpenetrativesexualactivity; imagesinvolvingsexualactivitywithananimal,orsadism.
CategoryB:Imagesinvolvingnon-penetrativesexualactivity.
CategoryC:OtherindecentimagesnotfallingwithincategoriesAorB.
Inthespringof2022,anIWFanalystassessedavideoofayounggirlwhowas aroundsevenoreightyearsold.Shehadbeenrecordedwhileplayingwithher dollandlyingonherbed.Anonlineabuserappearedtoinstructhertodoa multitudeofinappropriateacts,includingpenetratingherselfand masturbatingwiththehandleofalargesharpknife.Eventoouranalysts, whoseresiliencetothismaterialishigh,itwasviewedasatrulyhorrificcrime. This,coupledwithquestionstoIWFabouthowachild,ontheirown(inmost cases),couldbeseenin‘penetrativesexualactivity’,ledtothisstudy.
Whenachildisengagedinanytypeofsexualactivityeitheraloneorwitha perceivedpeeronwebcam,itcouldbeunderstoodthatthisisduetosexual exploration,howeverthisisnotreflectiveofwhatouranalystsseeintheir work.
Methodology
Datawerecollectedbetween16and22June2022–fiveworkingdays.
WecollatedalltheCategoryAchildsexualabuseimagesandvideoswhich fittedthe‘self-generated’definition.Thisischildsexualabusecontentcreated usingwebcamsorsmartphonesandthensharedonlineviaagrowingnumber ofplatforms.Insomecases,childrenaregroomed,deceivedorextortedinto producingandsharingasexualimageorvideoofthemselvesbysomeonewho isnotphysicallypresentintheroomwiththechild.
CategoryAimagesinvolveoneormoreofthefollowingaspects:
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1.Penetrativesexualactivity; 2.Imagesinvolvingsexualactivitywithananimal,or 3.Sadism. The Annual Report
Anythingwhichfittedthisdefinition,withinthetimeframeallocated,was includedinthestudy.
Whiletheterm‘self-generated’indicatesthatthechildiscreatingthecontent themselves,itisvitaltorememberthatchildrenarebeinggroomedonlineand instructedtoengageinthisbehaviour.Noblameshouldbeplacedonthechild.
Results
896instancesofonlinechildsexualabuseimagesorvideoswerefound containingCategoryAcontentofa‘self-generated’nature.
Thisaveragesas179CategoryAimagesaday.
Thisequatesto25CategoryAimageseveryhour(overananalyst’ssevenhourworkingday).
668oftheseimagescontainedchildrenaged11to13yearsold(75%).
184oftheseimagescontained7-to10-year-olds(20%).
44oftheseimagescontained14-to15-year-olds(5%).
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Over the course of 5 days, we found Coerced Child Sexual Abuse Images involving penetrative sexual activity and images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism.
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Age groups found containing Category A* content
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14-15 year olds
7-10 year olds
11-13 year olds
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889images/videoscontainedgirls(99%);
6images/videoscontainedbothboysandgirls;
1image/videocontainedboys.
• We categorise child sexual abuse material A,B or C. Category A being the worst kind of abuse. Category A images involve one or more of the following aspects: penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism.
Sex of victims found in images/videos
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Analysisofpenetrativeobjects
image/video contained boys images/videos contained both boys and girls images/videos contained girls (99%)
Belowisabreakdownofalltheobjectsusedfortheactofpenetrationthat wereseenintheimagesandvideos.Themostcommonobjectwasthechild’s ownfinger(419),followedbyapenorpencil(232),atoothbrush(75),anda hairbrush(39)
Belowisagraphshowingthemostfrequentobjects/typesofabusethatwere seenthreetimesormore.
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75% I 6 889
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Theaimofgatheringthedatawastorecordtheobjectsbeingusedfor penetrationpurposesbysearchingforCategoryAcontent.Thereare,however, moreelementstoCategoryAthanjustpenetration,henceimagesinvolving bestialityandsadismwerefound.
Eighteenimagesaccountedforbestiality(thechildwasinvolvedinsexual activitywithwhatappearstobethefamilypet).Tobeclear,intheimages showingbestiality,therewasnopenetrationseen.Animalsweremostoften seenlickingachild’sgenitals.
Therewerefiveimageswhichcontainedsadisticcontent;
Threeimagesincludedpegsbeingusedonthechild’sgenitalsand
Twoimagesshowedthechilddrinkingtheirownurine.
Otherobscureobjectsfoundintheimagesincludedaneggwhisk,alintroller, andaUSBcable.Additionally,penetrationbyanotherchildwasseenonsix differentoccasions.Therewereunknownobjectsfoundintheimages,which showedpenetrationtakingplacebutwerenotclearenoughtoidentifywhat theobjectwas.
Intotaltherewere69differentvariablesrecorded.Pleasenotetherewerenot 69differentobjects,butinsomecasesthechildwouldusemultipleobjects withinthesameimagesetorvideo.Duetothewaythatchildsexualabuse imagesarefrequentlyuploadedanddistributedtomanylocationsonline, someoftheimagesinthisdatasetwillhavebeenrepeated.Imagesare frequentlycopiedandre-postedagainusingadifferentURL.
Category A Own Finger child sexual Pen/Pencil Toothbrush abuse Hairbrush Bestiality incidents Unknown (seen 3 times or more) Makeup brush Hair styling equipment Multiple pens/pencils lil!miml!IEDEI Penetration by another child 11,liul·MIB Hlllll 111 Plastic drinking bottle Atiffi®Ml1ffit:&i 1MY.I Sadism Glue stick
Toilet roll holder Nail varnish bottle Recorder Sex toy Watch Carrot Foundation Glow stick Internet Watch Foundation Total No. 419 232 75 39 18 13 10 8 6 6 5 5 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 ,..(i)IWF 100%
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"It is vital to remember that children are being groomed online and instructed to engage in this behaviour."
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Hostinganalysis
Whenwe’veassessedthatanimageorvideofailsUKlaw,ouraimistogetit removedfromtheinternetasfastaspossible.
Todothis,weperformatraceonthecontenttoidentifythephysicalserver thatthecontentishostedon.Thistellsuswhichpartnersinwhichcountrywe needtoworkwith.Whenthecontentisremovedfromthephysicalserver–its source–thenwecanbesurethattheimagehasbeenremovedfrom anywebsitesorforums,orimageboardsetc,thatcouldbelinkingtoit.
Thetablebelowshowsthecountriesinwhichtheimagerywashosted.Tobe clear,thisdoesnottelluswhichcountrythevictim(s)oroffender(s)werein, norfromwhichcountrythecontentwasuploadedonline.
Country Number of 1mages/v1deos % (rou nded) Taiwan 239 27 Netherlands 214 24 Slovak Republic 157 18 Malaysia 117 13 Romania 70 8 Bulgaria 32 4 France 27 3 United States 19 2 Germany 6 0.7 China 5 0.6 Thailand 5 0.6 Hong Kong 2 0.2 Azerbaijan 1 0.1 Luxembourg 1 0.1 Russia 1 0.1 Grand total 896
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Source: IWF Annual Report 2022
Reallifeexample
Thisisatypedextractofavideofoundinthedata.Itinvolvesayounggirl beingdirectedonwebcam.
Fromherbedroom,ayoungBritishgirladdressesherwatchersandasksthem toputanyquestionstheymighthaveinthechatbelow.Sheapologisesfor havingtomovetoadifferentplatform,butshewasbannedbefore.Shetells theviewersshedoesnotliketouseSnapchatasherfriendsareonthere.She isaskedherageseveraltimesthroughoutthevideoandstatesthatsheis14 yearsold,howeverlooksaround12/13yearsold.
Somebodyaskshertoshowherfeetandasksherifshecanwearwhitesocks, shesays,“Youhaveafootfetish?”andgiggles.Somebodytellshershe is“Reallyprettyandhot”andsherespondswith“Thankyou”.
Sheisaskedtoshowhergenitalsoncamera:“Releaseyourp***y”
Theyaskhertofollowthembackandshereplies,“I’llfollowyouallbackafter thelivestream.Whatdoyouwantmetodo?”sheasksthenpausestoread theirresponsesandtellsthemsheneedstoclosethecurtains.Sheisaskedto showhernakedbodyandshetakeshershortsandunderwearoff.
“Whatelse?”sheasks,andthenbendsoverandshowshergenitals.She says,“Isthatbetter?”andpullsthecameraclosetohergenitalsand masturbatesandpenetratesherselfwithherfingerasinstructed.Shedances, exposesherself,masturbatesandpenetratesherselfforseveralmoreminutes andthenasks,“Whatwouldyoulikemetodo?”andshepenetratesheranus withherfinger.
“Areyoureadyforthefinalpiece?”sheasksandshowsherbreastswhile dancingandtouchingherself.Afterawhileshesaysshemustgetchangedbut hasapairofdirtyknickersandshowsthemtothecamera.Shesays,“Tryand getthisupto5k”andpointstothebottomofthescreen.
“I’m14”shesaysagain,“SorryI’vegottogo”butsaysshewouldstayifshe canget5,000viewers.Shedrawsthelivestreamtoaclosebysaying“Don’t
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forgettosend,butIwon’tbesendingbackasIdoitonlivestream.”Sheends thevideobythankingherviewersforjoining.
Theabovevideoisacommonexampleofwhattheanalystsfindregularly.The primaryconcernforthisgirlisthenumberofviewersshehasandwishesto have.Wecanonlyassumethatthechildhasbeengroomedintobehavingthis way.Indeed,thetextsuggeststhisisnotherfirsttime,butratheracommon occurrence.Itwasnotrevealedinthevideohowmanyviewersshehad;her targetwas5,000peoplewhichisalargenumberofpeopletobeviewingchild sexualabusematerialandfurthermorebeactivelyaskingthechildtocarryout theseactsoncamera.Ultimatelythisgirlisbeinginstructedtobehavethisway andforonepurpose–theviewers’sexualgratification.
Summary
Thissnapshotstudywascarriedouttorecordtheobjectsthatwesawchildren useforpenetrationpurposeswhenstreamingonlinewithanabuser.Itisnot uncommonforIWFanalyststoencounterthistypeofchildsexualabuse.Itis thefirsttime,however,thatwehavepublishedthissortofdetailabout penetrativesexualactivity.Wehopethatthishelpstoinformothers’work:that ofotherhotlines,policymakers,technologycompanies,andlawenforcement andourpartnersinthethirdsectorwhoworktirelesslytoprotectchildren online.
Numerousobjectswererecorded,themostcommonbeingthechild’sown finger.Itcouldbearguedthatthisbehaviourispartofthematurationprocess toexploresexuality.
However,thisiscertainlynotalwaysthecase,especiallygiventhat184 imagesincluded7to10yearolds.Furthermore,thevideotranscriptshows thatthechildwasdoingthisforfollowers,perhapslikesorincentives.When onlyachild/childrencanbeseeninthecontent,itcanbeeasytoforgetthat thereisalwayssomeonewatchingontheotherendandofteninstructing childrentocarryouttheseacts.
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Harnessing innovative tech to advance our mission
2022wasatumultuousyearfortheinternet,onethatshowedhowtheIWF’s missiontoseeaninternetfreeofchildsexualabuseisnevermoreimportant.
Developmentssuchasthemetaverse,rapidgrowthincryptocurrenciesand decentralisation,greaterlevelsofencryption,andongoingeffortsaroundthe worldtointroduceregulationstocombatonlineharms,haveresultedina constantlyevolvingandshiftinglandscape.
Wehaveseenexcitingnewdevelopmentsinonlinesafetytodetectand preventabuseatscale,suchasnewmachinelearningtoolsandprivacy preservingfilteringtools,butalsoworryingtrendsandtechnologieswhich havethepotentialtocreatenewharmsandputmorechildrenatrisk.
Asthescaleoftheproblemcontinuestogrow,theIWFtechnologyteamhas developednewtoolstoenableourexperthumananalyststofindandassess morecontentwithgreateraccuracythaneverbefore,includingleveraging GPU-accelerated(GraphicsProcessingUnit)computervisiontechniquesto clusternearduplicateimages,webprocessingtoolswhichcaninstantly highlightknownchildabuseimagesassoonastheyappearonthepage,and todetectandsplittheindividualframesusedtomakecollagesorgridimages.
TechR&D
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InadditiontosupportingthecoreworkofourHotline,thetechteamhavealso beenworkingwithIWFMembersonbespokeprojectstodevelopandtestnew innovativetechnology,leveragingtheIWF’suniqueexpertisewithchildsexual abusecontentandrichtaggeddatasets.
Theteamhasworkedonandsupportedincredibledevelopmentssuchasthe IWFreThinkChatbot,theSafetoWatchimageclassifier,andtheprivacy preservingCyacombsafetytool,solutionswhicharepushingtheboundariesof whattechnologycandotodetectanddisruptthedistributionandaccessof childsexualabusematerialonline.
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We’recollaboratingwiththeUKGovernment’sChildAbuseImageDatabase –CAID–tosupportlawenforcementandhelpthetechsectorfindand removecopiesofknownchildsexualabuseimagesonline.
IWFistheonlynon-lawenforcementbodyintheworldwithaccesstothe ChildAbuseImageDatabase(CAID)aspartofacollaborationtosupportlaw enforcement,andstoptheupload,sharingandstorageofknownchildsexual abuseimagesonline.
Thiswork,inturn,benefitssexuallyabusedchildrenallovertheworld. In2022,oursixhighlytrainedgraderswereincreasedto14,plustwoquality assurancestaff.Theyhaveassessed,gradedandhashednearlytwomillion imagesfromthedatabase.
Whenwehashanimage,wecreatea‘digitalfingerprint’.Asstandard,wehash allimagesusingmultiplealgorithms,andduetoourabilitytostorethe imagery,wecanretroactivelyaddnewalgorithmsastheyaredeveloped, keepingpacewiththetechnologyasitadvances.
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Wetakeprideinthequalityofourworkandtheexpertiseofourstaff.And we’vegoneoverandaboveinthegradingoftheseimagessothatwe’re enrichingeachimageandhashwithadditionalmetadata.
Thismeanswe’retaggingtheimagewithextradescriptionssuchasthe estimatedageofthevictimandthetypeofsexualabusethatwastakingplace. Bytaggingthemwiththisextrainformation,itmakesthemcompatiblewith otherlegaljurisdictionsaroundtheglobe,whichisadditionallyuploadedback intoCAID.Bydoingthiswork,italsomakesiteasierfortechnologycompanies todeploythesehashesthroughtheirservicesindifferentterritories.Thiswork meanswehavemorechanceofcopiesofthatimagebeingfoundandremoved, andthatimagegettingstoppedfrombeinguploaded,downloaded,orsharedin thefirstplace.
Asaresult,we’resupportingtheeffortsoflawenforcementintheUK,and globalindustrycanbetterprotecttheircustomers,andbetterprotectchildren whoseabuseimagesaresharedonline.Thisgivespeaceofmindtovictims whooftenlivewiththeknowledgethatfootageoftheirabusecouldbeshared bycriminalsaroundtheworld.
ThisworkhasbeenfundedbyThornandtheUKGovernment’sHomeOffice andstartedin2020.
ItwasmadetechnicallypossiblebybuildingIntelliGrade.Thecapabilitiesof IntelliGrade,alongsideourtraining,allowsustomakesurethatthequalityof ourassessmentsisthefocusofourwork.
UsingIntelliGrademeansthatwecancreatehashesofmorevictims’images thaneverbefore;notonlyassessingimagesfromCAID,butalsowhereverthe IWFanalystsfindacriminalimage,eitherthroughrespondingtopublicreports orourproactivework.
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Nominet Fund for Countering Online Harm
Nominet,theofficialregistryforUKdomainnames,startedtheCountering OnlineHarmFundinDecember2019toofferchildprotectionnetworks additionalresourcestorespondtoever-changingthreatstochildrenonline.
Nominet’spartnershipwiththeIWFhasenabledourtechteamtogrowand takerisks,goingbeyondday-to-dayoperationstobetrulyinnovativeinour missiontodeveloptechnologyforgood.
Thefundhasenabledustocreateandexpandadedicatedsoftware engineeringteamandtoinvestininfrastructuretoscaleupbespoketools developedin-housetofind,assess,andremovechildsexualabusematerial online.
TheteamatNominetshareIWF’smissiontoseeasaferinternetforall,freeof childsexualabusematerial.Thepartnershiphashadatransformativeeffect onourabilitytodeveloptechnologythatenhancesourwork,increasingimpact andhelpingtocounteronlineharmthroughtheremovalofchildsexualabuse materialfromtheinternet.
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NOMINET
ReThink Chatbot
First-of-its-kind
InpartnershipwithStopItNow!UKandIreland,wedevelopedachatbotto helpdeterpotentialoffendersfromsearchingforchildsexualabusematerial anddivertthemtosourcesofsupporttochangetheirbehaviour.Theproject hasbeenfundedbytheSafeOnlineInitiativeatEndViolence.
Ittargetsinternetuserswhoshowsignsthattheymightbelookingforimages ofchildsexualabuse.TechnologycompanyMindGeekvolunteeredtopilotthe chatbotonthePornhubUKplatformaspartofitstrustandsafetyprotocol, whichalsoincludescontentmoderationprogrammesandnon-profit partnerships.
ThechatbotwaslaunchedinMarchandtheprojectwillbeevaluatedby AssociateProfessorJeremyPritchardandDrJoelScanlanfromtheUniversity ofTasmania.TheevaluationisfundedbyChildhoodFoundationandtheSafe OnlineInitiativeatEndViolenceandisexpectedtofinishlate2023.
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IThisisthefirstprojectofitskindto usechatbottechnologyto intervenewhenpeopleattemptto searchforsexualimagesof childrenandtrytohelpthemstop, ornotstart,offending.
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Getting to grips with grid images
ByChrisWilson,IWFHeadofSoftwareDevelopment
Oneofourchallengeswe’retacklingisaroundtherecurringissueof‘grid images’inthehashingprocess.Thisprocesscreateshashes,ordigital fingerprints,ofchildsexualabuseimagesandvideosthatcanbeusedto identifyandblocktheimagesonline.
Gridimages,however,arenotoriousforcausingperceptualhashcollisions, whichmeansthattheperceptualhashesfromgridswillsometimesmatch imagesofsimplerepeatingpatterns.
Agridisaparticulartypeofpreviewimageusedbyoffenderstoadvertiseand makemoneyfromsellingchildsexualabusevideosonline.Offenderscreate thegridimagesfromvideoframesofthecriminalcontentandpostthemon theinternetalongwithalinktoenticebuyerstoapremiumfilesharingservice. Theseservicesrequireasubscriptionforuserstoaccessanddownloadthefull video.
Youcanreadmoreaboutcommercialchildsexualabuseimageryhere
Gridscanconstituteupto40%oftheimagesweprocessinreportsatany givenpointintime.Butmostofthetechcompanieswhouseourdatatoblock
We’vedeliberatelyscaledupourtechteamtoenhancetheeffortsofanalysts inourHotline.
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childsexualabuseimageryexcludegridimagehashesfromsearchesbecause ofthechancethattheymightclashwithanotherimage.
Theworkinprogress
Whilethereisnostandardlayout,backgroundcolour,sub-imagesizeor softwareusedtogenerategrids,weestablishedthatcollisionsaremorelikely tooccurwhena7×7gridorhigherofsub-imagesisused.
Tohandlegridsinanautomatedfashion,wecreatedaprocessthatcandetect thebackgroundandseparatetheimagesbackintotheconstituentframesfrom thevideoforperceptualhashmatchingandclustering.
Ourtestingonsyntheticgridsandreal-worldchildsexualabusematerialhas shownthisapproachtobe95%effectivewitha0.2%falsepositiverate,which iswhenanimageisflaggedasmatchingagridandextractederroneously. Thesoftwarewehavedevelopedsofaristooslowtobeusefulinreal-time detectionforexternaltechorganisations,butitissuitableforIWFpurposes, andweareworkingwithpartnersinternationallytooptimisethecode.
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VIDEO THUMBNAILS MAKER
Applyaquantizationfiltertorestoreauniformbackground–removing JPEGcompressionartefacts–andsimplifytheimage.
Scantheimageforanyuninterruptedsolidbackgroundcoloursthat touchallfouredges.
Usetheidentifiedbackgroundcolourtogenerateabinaryimageasa foregroundmask.
Inbriefwe:
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VIDEO THUMBNAILS MAKER
Applyblobdetectiontofindthesub-images,subjecttosomeedgecase filtering
Apotentialgamechanger
Thismeanswecannow:
1.Associategridimageswiththesourcechildsexualabusevideoifwe’ve alreadyassessedit,restoringcontexttosomeimageswhichmaynot otherwisehaveevidentlybeencriminalcontentfromthegridpreview alone.
2.Automaticallydetectandexcludegridsintheirrawformfromperceptual hashmatchingandclusteringtopreventcollisions.
3.Addthesub-imageperceptualhashestoourdatasetswhichwouldmatch theframesofthesourcevideosonplatformsthatimplementscanningon videosandenablethedetectionofaknownvideoofchildsexualabuse evenwherewedon’thavethevideoitself.
Impactonclustering
Forasimilarareaofourwork,weuseDBSCANclusteringwithPhotoDNA hashestogroupverysimilarimagestogether.Thisincreasesourabilityto assessveryvisuallysimilarimages,suchassimpleresizes,andtoimprove consistencywithourassessmentprocessaswecancompareassessments madebydifferentanalystsforslightlyalteredcopiesofthesameimages.We
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foundassessmentsbasedonclusterstobe112%fasterthanassessing individualimages.
Gridimagescomeintoplayforclusteringwhenitcomestovideos.The standardPhotoDNAprocessforvideosistofirstextracttheframes.Thesecan thenbeassessedasimages.Thevideoreceivesitsoverallassessmentrating baseduponthe“highestcategory”assessmentofanyoftheconstituent frames.Thiswaythevideoitselfcanbegradedfortheseverityofthechild sexualabuseitcontains.Wealsoaccountforanyframesextractedand circulatedindividually.
TheframesfromanygivenvideowouldformintoaPhotoDNAclustermuchin thesamewayascopiesofthesameimagewouldbecauseeachframewillbe verysimilartothenextandpreviousframes.Inthecaseofgrids,thismeans thattheextractedsub-imagesfromagridwouldmergeintotheclusterforthe sourcevideo(ifwehaveittomatchagainst),whichcanprovidevitalcontext foruswhenassessingimages.
Forexample,thesub-imagesofagridmaynotbeobviouschildsexualmaterial becausetheimagedoesnotcontainenoughofthevictimtobesure,butwhen itmergesintotheexistingcluster,theanalystscanthenseewherethegrid camefrom,andtheimagesbeforeandafteritinthevideo,whichcanoften confirmonewayoranotherwhethertheimageisofachildornot.
Whyisthisimportant?
Thismakesourworkfaster,moreaccurate,andclosestheloopholeswhich criminalshavetriedtoexploitintheirmakingandsharingofchildsexualabuse imagesandvideos.
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Machine learning with SafeToNet
We’vebeenworkingwithsafetytechcompanySafeToNettodevelopanew onlinechildsafetysolutionwhichwillusemachinelearningtorecognisechild sexualabusematerialandstopitbeingsentto,orcreatedby,mobiledevices. Thesolution,calledSafeToWatch,willdetectthreatsinrealtime,block harmfulcontentorswitchoffthecameraonachild’sphoneiftheyareviewing inappropriatematerialortrickedintotakingsexualimageryofthemselvesby anonlinepredator.
In2022,78%ofthewebsitesweremovedcontainedimagesorvideoswhere childrenhadbeengroomedandcoercedintosexualactivitiesoveraninternetenableddevicewithacamerabyanabuser.
Wehopethisnewtechnologywillhelppreventchildrenfrombeingtargetedin thiswaybycriminals.
OurtechteamhelpedtrainSafeToWatch,usingknownchildsexualabuse materialassessedbyourexperiencedIWFanalysts,toteachitwhatchild sexualabusematerialisandhowtodetectit,andthenrigorouslytestedit. SafeToWatchcansitonthedeviceitselfandwillwork,eveninend-to-end encryptedplatforms,tohelpkeepchildrensafe.Itisalsobeingdevelopedto beintegratedonplatformsthemselvesandcouldbeanimportantchildsafety solutionasmoreplatformsfullyencrypttheirservices.
“Itispreventionatthepointofcreationordistribution.Weareuniquein thatwearefocusingonapreventativesolutionratherthanareporting tool.ThereasonwewantedtoworkwiththeIWFisbecausewebelieve theyhavethebestandrichestdataworldwide.Itiswelllabelled andlendsitselftohelpingwiththiskindofwork.”
TomFarrell,ChiefOperatingOfficeratSafeToNet.
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Our role in the Safety Tech Challenge
~CYACOMB
Asmoredigitalplatformslooktofullyencrypttheirmessagingservices, effortstodisruptandpreventthespreadofchildsexualabusematerial onlinecouldbehampered,helpingcriminalsevadedetection.
ThisiswhywepartneredwithdigitalforensicscompanyCyacombforthe SafetyTechChallenge,aUKGovernment-fundedinitiativetodevelop innovativetechsolutionsfordetectingchildsexualabusecontentinend-toendencryptedenvironments,whileensuringthatusers’privacyisrespected.
ThroughourcollaborationwithCyacomb,we’vehelpedtocreateatoolthat couldblockimagesandvideosofchildrensufferingsexualabusefrombeing uploadedintoend-to-endencryptedplatforms,whereitwouldbeimpossible totracethem.
Thishasshownthatatechnicalsolutiontothechallengeposedbyend-to-end encryptionispossibleandwouldhelpinpreventingthespreadofknown criminalcontent.
Wetestedthesolutioninanenclosedenvironmenttosimulatehowthetool woulddetectrealchildsexualabusecontentinaprivatemessagingplatform.
Whileitisnotpossibletoscaninsideanend-to-endencryptedenvironment,it ispossibletostopknownchildsexualabusecontentfrombeinguploadedinto anend-to-endenvironmentbeforeitistransmitted,distributed,andshared.
Thistoolhaspotential;however,itneedstobeusedinconjunctionwithother measurestomakesurechildrenarefullyprotected.
IanStevenson,CyacombCEOsaid:“Wewereprivilegedtocollaboratewith IWFontheUKGovernmentSafetyTechChallengeFundexploringpotential solutionsfordetectingandblockingchildsexualabusematerialinend-to-end encryptedmessagingenvironments.
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“TheIWFprovideddeepunderstandingoftheproblemtobesolved,the challengesindoingso,andwasabletoprovidepracticaltestingin appropriatelysecureandcontrolledenvironments.Welearnedahugeamount fromthiscollaboration,andIWFtestingcontributedtoconfidencethatthe technologiesunderdevelopmentwereeffective.
“Wehopethisworkwillcontinuetodeveloptothepointwhereitcandeliver realimpactinthefightagainstchildsexualabuseimageryinmessagingfor IWFMembersandmorewidely.”
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Our work with the adult sector MindGeek
We’reworkingonatwo-yearpilotprojectinpartnershipwithMindGeekto developamodelofgoodpracticetosupporttheadultindustryincombatting childsexualabusematerialonline.
MindGeek,atechnologycompany,operatesanumberofbrandswhichoffer legal,adult-themedcontenttoaglobalaudience.Theyhaveimplementeda numberoftrustandsafetymeasurestokeeptheirplatformsanduserssafe andpreventtheupload/re-uploadofillegalmaterial.Theseincludemandatory identificationforcontentcreators,hash-listscanning,AItools,human moderation,deterrencemessaging,atrustedflaggerprogrammeanduser reportingoptions.
Duringthetwo-yearproject,MindGeekwillsupplementitsexistingtrustand safetyprogrammebytakinganddeployingallrelevantIWFservicesacrossits platformsincludingtheURLList,HashList,Non-photographicImageryListand KeywordsList.
ThepartnershipbeganinNovemberandisbeingoverseenbyanexternal advisoryboardofexpertswhowillguidetheoutputsofthepartnership.
Thepartnershipaimsto:
Developamodelofgoodpracticetoguidetheadultindustryincombatting childsexualabuseimageryonline;
EvaluatetheeffectivenessofIWFserviceswhendeployedacross MindGeek’sbrands;
Combinetechnicalandengineeringexpertisetoscopeanddevelop solutionswhichwillassistwiththedetection,disruptionandremovalof childsexualabusematerialonline.
Theproject’sprogresswillbereviewedatsetintervalsandreportedintothe IWFBoard.Keylearningsfromtheprojectwillbesharedpubliclytosupport others’workinthisarea.
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Welfare
Welfare at IWF
ByHeidiKempster,DeputyCEOandChiefOperatingOfficer
TheIWFhasgrownmorein2022thanatanytimeinour26-yearhistory. Atthebeginningoftheyear,weembarkedonourbiggestrecruitmentdrive yet,withappointmentstonewrolesacrossourorganisation.Wehavegrown, fromJanuary2022,to70bytheendofDecember.
GiventhesensitivenatureoftheworkwedoatIWF,thatkindofexpansion wasnomeanfeat.Weneedtoensurethatwerecruitcarefully,withpeople whohavebothahighemotionalresilienceandapassionforourmission.
AndfollowingourresponsetoCovid,wherewesplitourworkforcebetween thosewhoworkintheofficeandthosewhocanworkremotely,wehad additionalchallengestomaintainthatsenseofunity.We’veneededtore-think howwecreatethatfeelingandcultureofone“IWFfamily”.
Whenwespeakpubliclyaboutourwork,weoftengetaskedaboutthewelfare provisionsforourstaff,howwerecruittherightpeople,andhowwemanageto maintainsuchhighstaffretention.We’vetakenadeeperdiveintotheseissues inthisannualreport,byfeaturingtheviewsofournewHeadofHR,oneofour SeniorAnalystswhosupportsstaffwellbeing,andourprofessionalmental healthsupportteam.
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Weworkhardasateamtoensurethatthosewhodedicatetheirworkinglives toourmissionare,inturn,lookedafter.Attheendof2022wewelcomedfour independentexpertswhocarriedoutourHotlineAudit,whichhadbeen delayedbyayearduetotheCovidpandemic.
Aspartofthisaudit,DrGeorginaClifford,SpecialistClinicalandResearch PsychologistandDirectorofLondonTraumaSpecialists,inspectedourwelfare provision.TheindependentauditorsfoundourGold-standardwelfare programmetobean:“excellent,carefullyconsideredandever-evolvingwelfare package…[with]atrauma-informedapproachtoassessingthesuitabilityofnew stafffortherole,withacomprehensiveandrigorousinterviewandinduction process.”
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What welfare means to me
LillianisaQualityAssuranceOfficerattheIWF,havingworkedinourHotline for13years,findingandassessingchildsexualabuseimages.Shetakesa leadinhelpingtosupportthewelfareofothers.Here’sLillian’sviewofwhat welfaremeanstoher.
“Peopleoftenassumethatsomethingbadmusthappentoyouforyourmental healthtobecompromised,butitcanalsobethesmallthingsthatgrindaway atyouovertime,likeabusylifestyle,adarkdingyday,ahideouscommuteto theoffice,workingconditionsthatarenotfitforpurposeandmanypeople sufferwithlonelinesswhenworkingfromhome.
ThisiswhytheIWFpridesitselfonprovidinganexcellentwelfaresystemto supportstaffwhereverpossible.Goodmentalhealthisofutmostimportance whenworkingforanorganisationwhichdealswiththesubjectmatterofchild sexualabusematerial.
TherearemanyrolesattheIWF,somepeopleassessimagesandvideosof children’ssexualabuseaspartoftheirjobandsomeworkinotherareasofthe organisation,whichmeanstheyareworkingfromhomeorhybridworking;all rolespresenttheirownchallengesandstresses.
IjoinedtheIWFMentalHealthWorkingGroupinthepeakofCovid. Wefocusonpromotingmentalwellbeingandimprovingstaffhappiness.
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Wetakeasensitiveapproach,factoringinthedifferentneedsofallIWF employees.
EverymonthIsendoutawelfareemailtothewholeorganisation.Isearchfor tipsonmanagingmentalhealth.Everyemailhasathemedependentonwhat’s goingonatthattime.Itmightbework-related,forexampleahectictimewhen weareworkingtowardsmeetingatarget,oritcouldbedowntoexternal factors,likethewinterblues.
IspendalotoftimelisteningtoTedTalkslookingfortherightonewhich coincideswiththementalhealthtipsIwanttogive.TedTalksaremotivational andcanbeverythought-provoking.
Ialsobelievethebenefitsofmeditationareboundless.Therearesomany differentformsofmeditation/mindfulness.Whilesomeareupliftingandactive, othersarecentredaroundwindingdownandrelaxing.Everybodyisdifferent andmoodistransient,soonetypeoftherapydoesnotsuitall.Iincludelinks toavarietyofwellnessapproachesfromourwellnessemployeebenefit platform,sostaffcanchoosewhichmethodworksforthem.
Mywelfareemailmaybeassimpleasprovidingabreakandadistractionfrom theeveryday,buttheoverallpurposeistogivemycolleaguesarangeof psychologicaltoolsthattheycandrawfrom,asandwhentheyneedthem. Likeourphysicalhealth,mentalhealthrequiresmaintenance.Thetruthabout mentalhealthisthatitvariesfromonedaytothenext,andI’mproudtoplay mypartsupportingothersatIWF.”
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Professional mental health support
Wegiveourstaffthesupporttheyneedtodotheirjobwell
Ouranalystshaveoneofthetoughestjobsintheworld.Everyday,staffinour Hotlineseedistressingimagesandvideosofchildrenbeingsexuallyabused, rapedandtortured.
Ongoingexposuretothistypeofimagerycantakeatollonananalyst’s wellbeing.However,staffattheIWFconsistentlypointtothestrongwelfare systeminplacethathelpsthemtocopewiththenatureoftheirwork.
Itstartswiththerecruitmentprocess
TheIWF’srigoroussupportsystembeginsassoonascandidatesareselected forinterviewandcontinuesthroughouttheirtimeatthecharity.Recruitment andtrainingarecarefullymanagedtoguidepotentialandnewanalyststhrough theprocessofviewinggraphicandupsettingimages.
Thisstrongstartreinforcesawiderorganisationalstrategyensuringthatthere isasupportnetworkeverystepofthewaytohelpthemmaintaingoodmental wellbeing.
Ouranalystscomefromallwalksoflife,agesandexperiences,yettheyall speakofasenseofsharedcamaraderieandunderstandingintheHotline.They knowthattheywillalwaysbeabletospeaktoacolleagueorlinemanager abouttheirworkanditisencouragedthatstaffrecogniseandvoicethatthey mightnotbeabletocopeaswellasthey’dlikewithsomethingtheyhave viewed.
Regularbreaks,andnoovertime
Itisvitaltoouranalysts’wellbeingthattheycan‘closethedoor’onwhatthey haveseenduringthedayandleaveworkbehindwhentheygohome.Forthis reason,staffintheHotlineworkashorteneddaytokeeptheamountoftime viewingimagestoaminimum.Regularbreaksaremandatoryandthereisno overtime,ever.
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Duringlunchandtimeawayfromtheirscreens,analystsareencouragedto relaxandeatinabrightandcheerfulcommunalspaceorifthey’refeeling energetic,playagameoftabletennis.Therearealsojigsaws,colouringbooks, buildingsetsandjugglingballsavailableforothermindfuldistractions. Furthersupportisprovidedbyanin-housewelfareworkinggroupthatmeets regularlytodiscussaspectsofstaffwelfareacrosstheorganisationand providesteam-buildingsessionstomaintainmorale.
Mandatorycounselling,everymonth,withoutfail
Onoccasionhowever,viewingaparticularimageorvideocanhavean emotionaleffectonananalystandstaywiththembeyondtheirworkingday. Thisiswhyallemployeeswhoviewcriminalimageshavein-person,mandated monthlycounsellingsessionswithalicensedtherapist.
Thesesessionsgentlyexplorehowtheanalystisdealingwiththeirexposureto childsexualabusematerialandwhetheritmaybeaffectingtheirhomelife. Sometimesananalystwilldescribeviewinganimagethatis‘triggering’and whichthey’refindingdifficulttostopthinkingabout.Itcouldbesomethingas innocuousasarecognisabletoyorpieceofclothingorsomethingmore upsettingthatcanbeheardontheaudiotrackofasexualabusevideo.
Inthesecases,thetherapistcanworkwiththeanalysttotryanddispelthe impactthattheimagehas;totakeawayitspowertoshock.Theseinclude techniquessuchasimaginingtheimagepaintedonawallandthen manipulatingit.Theanalystisencouragedtopaintovertheimageorbreak downthewallintheirminds,mentallyblockingorthrowingitaway.
Anannualvisitto“TheProf”
Themonthlysessionsarebackedupbyanannualassessmentwithaclinical psychologist,affectionatelycalled‘TheProf’.HisworkwiththeIWFdiffers fromhisusualsessionsinthatinsteadofhelpingpeopletodealwiththe aftermathofacrisisortrauma,itisspecificallydesignedtopreventcrisisand traumafromoccurring.
Hesaysthattodotheirjobseffectively,analystsneedtobecomedesensitised tosomedegree.Whilethecontenttheyviewremainsshocking,becauseofthe
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analyst’strainingandexperiencetheimagesnolongerhavethesamesortof abilitytoshockthattheymighthavehadforsomeonewhowasillpreparedto seethem.
Analystsaretaughttotrynotto‘fillinthegaps’whenviewingimagesof childrenbeinghurtandexploited,whichmeanstoavoidthinkingaboutwhat mighthavehappenedtoachildandwhethertheyarestillatrisk.Thoughitisa naturalthingtowonderabout,ouranalystslearntodistancethemselvesfrom theemotionalaspectsotheycanfocusonthejobathand.
TheIWFmissionasmotivation
Analystsknowthatthevitaldatacollectedthroughtheirassessmentofchild sexualabuseimagesisusedbylawenforcementandthetechindustryaround theworldtotrackdownchildabusersandblockfurtherdistributionofabuse material.ThisgivesourHotlinestaffgreatsatisfactionknowingthattheyhave madeadifferencetohelpchildren.
Asoneanalystsays:“I’mgladwedoseewhatwedoifitprotectschildren.”
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Providing support across the organisation
BySamanthaO’Byrne,IWFHeadofHumanResources
“Ourwelfareconsiderationshavefocusedoncreatingaculturewhere everyonefeelsthoughtof,valuedandunited,whetherworkingtogether intheofficeorremotely.”
OurstaffteamattheIWFhasgrownrapidlyoverthepasttwoyearsandwe nowemployabout70peoplewhoarebasedacrosstheUKandBrussels. HalfoftheteamworktogethereverydayasoneunitinourCambridgeHotline, wheretheyassesschildsexualabuseimages.Theotherhalfwork predominantlyfromhomebutcometogetherregularlyforindividualteam gatherings,meetingsattheofficeorcompany-ledevents.
Ourwelfareconsiderationshavefocusedoncreatingaculturewhereeveryone feelsthoughtof,valuedandunited,whetherworkingtogetherintheofficeor remotely.Ensuringthateveryonehastherighttoolstobeeffectiveandfeel connectedhasbeenvitalinthisprocess.
WehaveanexceptionalwelfareprogrammeinplacetosupportourHotline, whichisscrutinisedandendorsedbyexternalsubjectmatterexperts, includingahighcourtjudge,aclinicalpsychologistandlawenforcement.
Culturally,weworkhardtoensurewebringpeopletogetheroften,making themfeelconnectedandensuringtheyhaveanequalvoice.Weholdroutine,
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organisation-wideonlinemeetings,runanemployee-ledstaffforum,take regularsurveystoseekemployeeopinionandgivepeopleresponsibleroleson thewelfaregroupandenvironmentalteam.
Ourgroupsandmeetingscombineoffice-basedandhomeworkerstogivea roundedviewacrosstheorganisation.Thishelpstofostercollaborationand developstrongrelationshipsamongcolleagues,wherevertheyareinthe country.
Howevermuchwehavegrown,westriveforequityacrosstheorganisation whereverpossible,forexampleofferingwelfareperksthatsuitboththoseat homeandintheoffice.Weknowthatneedsdifferacrossindividualteamsand wemeetthosedifferenceswhenwecan,yetwealwaysprioritiseaconsistent andbalancedapproachtostaffwelfare.
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WewelcomedfourindependentinspectorsintoIWFattherequestofour Board.LedbyretiredHighCourtJudgeSirMarkHedley,theywereaskedto:
CommentonwhethertheHotlineandAdministrators’Manualsarefitfor purposeandwhethertheproceduresarecompliedwithbystaff.
QualitycheckactivechildsexualabuseURLsandhashimagesfor consistencyofdecision-makingandmanagerialoversight.
Samplepreviouschildsexualabusecontentscreencapturesfor consistencyofdecision-makingandmanagerialcontrolmechanisms.
Reviewandcommentonadministrationindischargingcontentassessment complaints.
ConsiderInternetContentAnalysts’trainingrequirementstoenablethem toundertaketheirrolesconfidentlyandaccurately.
SampleworkoftheQualityAssuranceteamtoensureadequate,objective andrepresentativetestingandreportingmechanisms.
ReviewHotlinesecurityarrangementsandconformancewithISO/IEC 27001.
ReviewandcommentonHotlinewelfarearrangementsincluding recruitmentprocesses,counsellingarrangementsandgeneralsupport mechanismscomparingwithothermodelsofgoodpracticeinlaw enforcementandotherprofessions.
Theyconcludedthat:
“TheIWFisanextremelyprofessionalandwell-managedorganisation ledbyastrongbutcaringandcompassionateleadershipteam. Themissionisclearlyunderstoodbyallstaffmemberswhoare committedtoprotectingchildrenfromtheseriousharmsthatcanbe inflictedbytheperpetratorsofonlinechildsexualabuse.”
KeithNivenQPM,NationalCAIDITImplementationLead, NorfolkConstabulary.
ThefullreportispublishedontheIWFwebsite.
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Hotline audit
Policy
Policy in UK
OnlineSafetyBill
InMarch2022,theUKGovernmentpresenteditsmuch-anticipatedOnline SafetyBilltobereadintheHouseofCommons.Thiswastheculminationof almostsixyears’worthofpre-legislativeconsultationinthepreparationofthe Bill.TheIWFcontinuedtoinfluenceandfollowtheBillthroughoutitspassage inParliament.
Secondreading,19April2022
AtaheavilycurtaileddebateontheBill’sSecondReading,theformerChairof theDigital,Culture,MediaandSport(DCMS)SelectCommittee,JulianKnight MP,calledfortheIWFtohavearoleinassistingOfcomtoidentifycompanies whowerefailingintheirdutyofcare.
FormerDigitalMinisterDameCarolineDinenageMPalsoreferencedtheharm causedtochildrenandhowtheIWFandpartnersblocked8.8millionattempts inonemonthtoaccessknownchildsexualabusematerial.Readourbriefing note.
Parliamenton19April2022
VideoclipofformerMinisterofStateforDigitalandCultureDameCaroline DinenageMPspeakingattheSecondReadingoftheOnlineSafetyBillin
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Report 2022
Annual
rt'·• ' -" _.,, ' I~®~ ~->-'~t, i;:;, !~ ".l.J • '>i ' ' ...\ ooti Internet Watch Foundation (i)IWF 148
PublicBillCommittee,24May2022
TheBillentereditsPublicBillCommitteestageforthefirsttimeinMay.The Committee,ChairedbySirRogerGaleMPandChristinaReesMP,useditsfirst sessiontohearfromawiderangeofstakeholders,includingIWFCEOSusie HargreavesOBE,onvariousaspectsoftheBillbeforeconsideringlinebyline scrutinyoftheBill.
TopicsofdiscussionatthePublicBillCommitteeevidencesessionincluded categorisationofcompaniesaspartoftheBill,end-to-endencryption, grooming,co-designationofexpertbodiesandmedialiteracy.Readour evidencetothePublicBillCommittee.
VideoclipoftheformerChairofDCMSSelectCommittee,JulianKnightMP, speakingattheSecondReadingoftheOnlineSafetyBillinParliamenton 19April2022
The Annual Report 2022 (i)IWF--i. ·- ....,:~.• -·. ..~,,-- t ;, , • -~ _-]L_~~.•.&l...:"°"""'-' r\J \. '-r_. ' I II.,,~--' .• ,,.,. ', '1'- : ••.... ,,• I ,t ', . , i ij ;111', • , J r 'J j I • r;- -.,__/ , ~· - ,_/'_ ~- l.r-- ~-' IA "--i \. / • ,· ..: - i •,. J--.... ,_-" Internet Watch Foundation 149
VideoclipofIWFCEOSusieHargreavesOBEgivingevidencetothePublicBill Committeeon24May2022
ReportStage,12Julyand5December2022
TheBillhadtwodaysofReportStage.Thefirston12Julyandthesecond, followingtwochangesofPrimeMinister,on5December.
Manyoftheamendmentsrelatingtochildsexualexploitationandabusewere consideredon5December,whenseveralMPsstooduptoraiseconcerns abouttheneedformoredetailonhowtheimplementationofthelegislation wouldworkinpractice.
FormerSafeguardingMinister,RachelMacleanMP,calledfortheIWF’s technicalexpertisetobereflectedinthenewregulatoryframework.Former HomeSecretaryPritiPatelMPpushedtheParliamentaryUnderSecretaryof State,PaulScullyMP,toensurehewasawareoftheIWF’sexpertiseandthat itwouldbereflectedinthenewframework.SeveralotherParliamentary Champions,includingSarahChampionMP,MiriamCatesMPandVickyFord MP,backedthesecalls.
Readourbriefingnote
VideoclipofIWFCEOSusieHargreavesOBEgivingevidenceto thePublicBillCommitteeon24May2022
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VideoclipofformerHomeSecretaryRtHonPritiPatelMPandthe formerSafeguardingMinisterRachelMacleanMPduringOnlineSafety BillReportStagediscussionsinParliamenton5December2022
VideoclipofIWFParliamentaryChampionMiriamCatesMPduringOnline SafetyBillReportStagediscussionsinParliamenton5December2022
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VideoclipofIWFParliamentaryChampionRtHonVickyFordMP duringReportStagediscussionsinParliamenton5December2022
SaferInternetDay
IWFChampionLauraTrottMPchairedavirtualsessionforMembersof ParliamentandPeerstohearfromthreeofChildnet’sDigitalLeadersaspartof adiscussionaboutthethemeforSaferInternetDay2022:‘Allfunandgames? Exploringrespectandrelationshipsonline’.
SpeakinginadebateonmentalhealthinParliamentonthesamedayLaura Trottsaid:
“Today,ataneventinvolvingtheInternetWatchFoundation,Iheardfour teenagerstalkaboutthepressuresthattheyfeltonline,andhowdifficult theyfoundtotalktopeopleaboutwhatwashappeningandwhereto referit.Wemustfixthis,andIthinktheOnlineSafetyBillwillbethe keytothat.”
VideoclipofIWFParliamentaryChampionSarahChampionMP duringReportStagediscussionsinParliamenton5December2022
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AscreenshotshowsIWFChampionLauraTrottMPchairingavirtualSafer InternetDayeventwithteenagersdiscussingthepressuresthattheyfeltonline
IndependentInquiryintoChildSexualAbuse
TheIndependentInquiryintoChildSexualAbusepublisheditsfinalreportin Octoberafternearlysevenyearsofwork,hearingfrom7,300victimsand survivorsandconsideringnearly2.5millionpagesofevidence.
WewereproudtoplayourpartintheInquirywhichconcludedthat:“toooften institutionsprioritisedtheirpersonalandinstitutionalreputationsabovethe welfareofthosetheyweredutyboundtoprotect.”Thefinalreportstated: “Childrenmustbegivenagreaterpriorityinpubliclife.”
AmonthaftertheInquiryconcluded,wewerepleasedtoaddournameto alettertothePrimeMinisterandHomeSecretarycallingonthemto implementtherecommendationsinthereport.
APPGOnSocialMedia
Thisyear,aspartoftheUKSaferInternetCentre,wecontinuedtorunthe SecretariatfortheAll-PartyParliamentaryGroup(APPG)onSocialMedia. TheAPPGelectedtwonewCo-Chairsin2022,LabourMPLukePollard andConservativeMPAaronBellwhotookoverfromoutgoingChairChris ElmoreMP.
TheAPPGheldtwomeetingsthisyearrelatedtotheOnlineSafetyBill.The firstconsideredchildprotectionmeasuresintheBillwhereMPsandPeers heardfromSWGfL,Barnardo’sandtheIWFonhowtheBillcouldbeimproved, witharesponsefromthenDigitalMinisterChrisPhilpMP.
VideoclipofIWFChampionLauraTrottMPinParliamenton8February2022 referringtotheSaferInternetDayeventshechaired
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ThesecondsessionconsideredchangestheGovernmentmadetotheBill concerningthe“legalbutharmfulprovisions.”SpeakersincludedWillPerrinof theCarnegieTrust,ParliamentaryUnder-SecretaryofStateforTechandthe DigitalEconomyatDCMSPaulScullyMPandLabourShadowMinisterforTech, GamblingandtheDigitalEconomyAlexDavies-JonesMP.
November’sAPPGonSocialMediaincludedspeakersWillPerrinof theCarnegieTrust,DCMSParliamentaryUnder-SecretaryofState PaulScullyMPandLabourShadowMinisterAlexDavies-JonesMP
November’sAPPGonSocialMediaincludedspeakersWillPerrin oftheCarnegieTrust,DCMSParliamentaryUnder-SecretaryofState PaulScullyMPandLabourShadowMinisterAlexDavies-JonesMP
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WrittenevidencetoScottishParliamentJusticeCommittee
InMay,theIWFwasaskedtogivewrittenevidencetotheScottishParliament JusticeCommittee,foraone-offevidencesessionononlinesafety.We providedinformationonthescaleandnatureoftheCSEAthreat,CSEA definitions,educationandawarenessandthechallengesweface.Readour writtensubmission.
IWF’s25thanniversary
Wecelebratedour25thanniversaryataneventintheHouseofLords, sponsoredbyBaronessNickyMorganofCotes,withthenHomeSecretaryRt HonPritiPatelMPspeakingalongsideProfessorHanyFaridfromtheUniversity ofCalifornia,Berkeley,IWFChairAndrewPuddephattOBEandIWFCEOSusie HargreavesOBE.
OtherattendeesattheeventincludedRt.Hon.SirJeremyWrightKCMP,Chair oftheAPPGonDigitalRegulation;DamianCollinsMP,ChairofthedraftOnline SafetyBillJointCommittee;AlexDavies-JonesMP,ShadowMinisterforTech, GamblingandtheDigitalEconomy;DanielZeichner,MemberofParliamentfor Cambridge;Rt.Hon.LordTimClement-JonesCBEFRSA,LibDem spokespersonintheHouseofLordsfortheDigitalEconomy;LauraTrottMBE, MemberofParliamentforSevenoaks;DameMelanieDawes,OfcomCEO;Rob Jones,DirectorofThreatLeadership,NationalCrimeAgency;andDeputyChief ConstableIanCritchley,NationalPoliceChiefs’Councilleadforchild protection.RepresentativesfromMeta,Apple,Google,TalkTalk,TikTokand Snapalsoattended,aswellasBTwhoverykindlysponsoredtheeventasone ofourfoundingMembers.
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SpeakersattheIWF’s25thanniversaryeventattheHouseofLordsincluded, fromleft,IWFCEOSusieHargreavesOBE;UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,Prof HanyFarid;thenHomeSecretaryRtHonPritiPatelMP;Rt.Hon.BaronessNicky Morgan;andIWFChairAndrewPuddephattOBE
VideoofIWFChampionSarahChampionMPspeakingaboutthe workoftheIWFonour25thanniversary
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VideoofIWFChampionSimonFellMPdiscussingtheworkof theIWFonour25thanniversary
Policy in Europe
EUproposalstotackleChildSexualAbuse
InFebruary,theIWFusedSaferInternetDaytourgetheEuropean Commissiontobringforwardtheirplanstotacklechildsexualabuseonline followinganincreaseinreportstoourHotlineby374%injusttwoyears,with themajorityofthecontentbeinghostedinEurope.
InMay,theEuropeanCommissionannouncedtheirproposednewregulation topreventandcombatonlinechildsexualabuse.Theproposalfromthe EuropeanCommissionwouldcreateanewindependentEUCentreonChild SexualAbuseandwouldplaceclearobligationsonserviceproviderstodetect, block,reportandremovechildsexualabusematerial.Theproposalalso focussesonpreventionandassistancetovictimsaswellasarolefornational authorities.
Inthesamemonth,IWFCEOSusieHargreavesOBEmetwiththeEuropean CommissionerforHomeAffairs,YlvaJohansson,inBrusselstodiscussthe EuropeanCommission’snewproposal.Discussionscenteredaroundtheendof thetemporarye-Privacyderogationin2024andtheneedfortheproposalto complementexistinginternationalstructurestacklingCSEAonline.
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IWFCEOSusieHargreavesOBEmetwiththeEuropeanCommissioner forHomeAffairs,YlvaJohansson,inBrusselsinMay
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AlongsidetheUKHomeOffice,theIWFpresentedinAugusttoadelegation fromtheCzechPresidencywhichisresponsibleforprogressingtheproposal fileintheEuropeanCouncil.
InDecember,theIWFhostedadelegationfromtheEuropeanParliament, whichincludedtheLIBERapporteur,JavierZarzalejosMEP,todiscuss strategiestocombatchildsexualabusecontentonline.
AgroupphotoofattendeesatMEPvisittotheIWFoffice,showing,fromleft, DeputyDirectorattheUKHomeOffice,ChristianPapaleontiou;Parliamentary AssistanttoNiyaziKizilyürekMEP,HakanChoban;IWFPolicyandPublicAffairs Executive,JonahThompson;SecretaryGeneraloftheEuropeanParliament’s ChildRightsIntergroup,EmilioPuccio;UKHomeOfficeTacklingChildSexual AbuseUnit,RobCorr;ParliamentaryAssistanttoLenaDupontMEP,Anastasija Ore;ParliamentaryAssistanttoJavierZarzalejosMEP,ZoeNubla;Memberofthe EuropeanParliament,JavierZarzalejos;andIWFChiefExecutive,Susie HargreavesOBE
ReviewoftheChildSexualAbuseDirective
TheEuropeanCommissionheldapublicconsultationonitsreviewofEUrules tocombatchildsexualabuse.TheIWFrespondedtothisconsultationinJuly, supportingtheEuropeanCommission’sintentionforbothnewlegislativeand non-legislativemeasurestotacklethespreadofchildsexualabuseonline.You canreadtheIWF’sresponsehere.
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CouncilofEurope,ItalianPresidencyoftheCommitteeofMinisters
InApril,IWFCEO,SusieHargreavesOBE,attendedatwo-daymeetinginRome tocelebratethelaunchofthenewStrategyfortheRightsoftheChild(20222027).Shespokeonapanelaboutprotectingchildrenfromchildsexualabuse andexploitationonline.
IWF’s25thanniversary
AswellasourUKevent,theIWFwasinBrusselsinApriltocelebrateour 25thanniversaryandtodiscusstheforthcomingEUlegislationtotacklechild sexualexploitationandabuse.AttendeesattheeventincludedHilde VautmansMEP,Vice-ChairoftheEuropeanParliamentIntergroupon
Children’sRights,CathrinBauer-Bulst,HeadofUnitforthefightagainst cybercrimeandchildsexualabuseinDGMigrationandHomeAffairsatthe EuropeanCommission,MariaCastello-Branco,Vice-ChairoftheLanzarote Committee,ProfessorHanyFaridfromtheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley, IWFChairAndrewPuddephattOBEandIWFCEOSusieHargreavesOBE.Read ourrelease.
Fromleft,speakersattheIWF’s25thanniversaryeventinBrusselsincluded ProfHanyFaridfromtheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley;MariaCastello-Branco, Vice-ChairoftheLanzaroteCommittee;IWFChairAndrewPuddephattOBE; andHildeVautmansMEP,Vice-ChairoftheEuropeanParliamentIntergroup onChildren’sRights.CathrinBauer-Bulst,headofunitforthefightagainst cybercrimeandchildsexualabuseinDGMigrationandHomeAffairs shownonscreen
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InternationalPolicy
InMay,wepresentedtoadelegationofMalaysianparliamentariansfromthe ParliamentSpecialSelectCommitteeonWomenandChildrenAffairsand SocialDevelopmentattheNationalCrimeAgencyinLondon,alongsidethe WePROTECTGlobalAlliance.
MEPHildeVautmansspeaksattheIWF’s25thanniversary eventinBrusselsinApril
The Annual Report 2022 ?: Internet Watch Foundation @)!!!f ~.=:; .
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IWFCEOSusieHargreavesOBEandIWFHeadofPolicyandPublicAffairs MichaelTunkscanbeseenfourthfromleftandfarrightrespectivelywith MalaysianparliamentarymembersattheNCAinLondoninMay
Watch Foundation
Forums
TheIWF’sopinionissoughtinternationally.Wewerealsorepresentedonthe followingforumsthisyear:
AttheParliamentandInternetConferenceinMarch,IWFHeadofPolicyand PublicAffairsMichaelTunksspokeonapanelalongsideBenLakeMP,Katie O’Donovan(Google),EmilyTaylor(OxfordInformationLabs),formerHeadof PolicyatIPSATillSommer,andAmyJordan(Ofcom).
IWFHeadofPolicyandPublicAffairsMichaelTunks,thirdfromleft,spokeona panelattheParliamentandInternetConferenceinMarch,alongsideformerHead ofPolicyatIPSATillSommer;PublicPolicyManageratGoogleUKKatie O’Donovan;PlaidCymruMPforCeredigionBenLake;EmilyTaylor,Oxford InformationLabsCEO;andOfcomDirectorofTechnologyPolicyAmyJordan
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InOctober,MichaelTunksspokeattheSaferInternetForuminBrusselsand ChiefTechnologyOfficerDanSextonpresentedattheEuropeanLiberal Forum.
InNovember,DanSextonjoinedtheUKInternetGovernance ForumdiscussiononencryptionalongsidetheICOandAlecMuffet.Michael TunksalsoattendedtheFOSIconference,WorldEconomicForumeventin WashingtonDCandtheUNInternetGovernanceForum.
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The Annual Report 2022
Members&partners
Our Members & partners
ByNeilProwse,IWFDevelopmentManager
In2022,ourmembershipbasecontinuedtogrowacrosssectorsand industries,andintomorecountries,wideningthereach,impactandbenefit ofourcutting-edgeservices.With181Membersbytheendoftheyear,and about60%oftheseregisteredoutsidetheUK,ourdeploymentofservices nowcrossesallcontinents,makingtheIWFaglobalforceindisruptingchild sexualabusematerialonline.
Seewhofundsourworkandtakesourservices
Inparallel,andthroughourever-growingcollaborationswithindustry Membersclosertohome,wehelpedtokeeptheUKahighlyhostilelocationfor hostingimagesandvideosofchildsexualabuse.
AstheworldadaptedtolivingwithCovid,weaimedtoregularlymeetfaceto facewithMembersthroughout2022andcontinuetodoso.Ourstewardship programmehasprovidedachancetodiscusswidertopics,trendsand challenges,andinsomecases,meetinpersonforthefirsttime.Thisisan ongoingprogrammeandwehopetomeetmoreofourMembersin2023.We werealsodelightedthatour2022AGMcouldbeheldinpersonforthefirst timeinseveralyears,asitbroughtadegreeofnormalitybacktobusiness.
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Weenteredseveralnewsectorsduringtheyear,welcomingthelikesof Niantic,whooperateintheworldofaugmentedreality;andQintel,who providedataforensicsforlawenforcement.
Aspartofourmembershipdrivewelookedatwaystoworkwithothersectors, particularlywithintheboundsofencryptionandprivacy,andranacampaign targetedattheVPNsectorwiththesupportoftheVPNTrustInitiativeandthe InternetInfrastructureCoalition.Sincethen,wehaveheldproductivetalks withmanyVPNprovidersandareoptimisticthat2023willseethissector exploretheuseofIWFservicesandexpertisetostopthecriminalcirculationof onlinechildsexualabuseimagery.
WehavealsohadaninfluxofinterestfrombothMembersandcorporate partnersinnewwaystocollaborate,particularlyinthesafetytechsector, pushingboundariesandtestingtoolsandtechnicalinnovationstotacklechild sexualabusematerialandimproveonlinesafetyforchildren.
Weanticipateourmembershipbasetoexpandfurtherinfuture,especiallyin lightoftheUKOnlineSafetyBillandincreasedUKregulation,butalsoinmany othercountriesaroundtheglobe,asgovernmentstightenupregulationsto protectchildrenintheonlineenvironmentandattempttostampoutthe distributionofchildsexualabusematerialontheinternetforgood.
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Membersasof31December2022 The Annual Report 2022 (j)IWF Our Members £80,000 + , amazon.com --.__;;,~ASPIEGEL @ "'""'' @Globe CISCO Google eJ OOMeta =• Microsoft Ce) d)PLDT 6Smart Sl<Y TalkTalk •••li I f' • For Everyone : e e onica d- G VERISIGN' @x9 0 Internet Watch Foundation 165
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Our Members' testimonials
TikTok
“Childsexualabuseandexploitationisabhorrentandthiskindofbehaviour hasnoplaceonlineoroff.Asweworktogetheronoursharedmissionof endingchildsexualexploitation,it’swiththankstotheIWF’sknowledgeand expertisethatwe’reabletofurtherprotectourcommunityfromsomeofthe internet’smostheinouscriminalcontent.”
ElizabethKanter,DirectorofPolicyandGovernmentRelations
Meta
“CombatingCSAMrequiresasocietywideandholisticapproach,whichiswhy MetahaspartneredwithIWFformorethanadecade,workingtogetheron ground-breakinginitiativestocombatchildexploitationonline.Weareproud ofthislong-standingpartnershipandtheworkwehaveachieved,andwewill continuetocollaboratewithIWFandotherpartnersacrosstheglobeto preventandrespondtothishorriblecrime.”
AntigoneDavis,VP,GlobalHeadofSafety
AdEPTEducation
“AtAdEPTweareincrediblyproudtobeaMemberoftheInternetWatch Foundation(IWF).AsaproviderofIT,communicationsandconnectivityto over12,000organisationsacrosstheUK(includingmorethan4,000schools) weappreciateandsupportthecrucialrolethattheIWFplayinmakingthe internetasaferplace.”
SchoolsBroadband(Talk-Straight)
“SafeguardingisattheveryheartofeverythingSchoolsBroadbanddoes, whichiswhywecontinuetosupportthevitalworkoftheInternetWatch Foundationintheirfighttoprotectchildrenandyoungpeoplefromthe horrendouschildsexualabusethatexistsaroundtheworld.”
DavidTindall,SchoolsBroadbandCEO
Cyacomb
“WewereprivilegedtocollaboratewiththeInternetWatchFoundationonthe UKGovernmentSafetyTechChallengeFundexploringpotentialsolutionsfor detectingandblockingchildsexualabusematerialinEnd-to-EndEncrypted
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messagingenvironments.TheIWFprovideddeepunderstandingofthe problemtobesolved,thechallengesindoingso,andwasabletoprovide practicaltestinginappropriatelysecureandcontrolledenvironments.We learnedahugeamountfromthiscollaboration,andIWFtestingcontributedto confidencethatthetechnologiesunderdevelopmentwereeffective.Wehope thisworkwillcontinuetodeveloptothepointwhereitcandeliverrealimpact inthefightagainstchildsexualabusematerialinmessagingforIWFMembers andmorewidely.”
Securus
“SecurusisproudtopartnerwiththeInternetWatchFoundationwhoprovide suchaninvaluableglobalserviceinthebattletoeliminatechildsexualabuse imageryonline.Workingtogetherandsharingknowledgeallowsustoimprove thesupportweofferallschoolsandeducationestablishmentswithour monitoringandsafeguardingsolutions,increasingtheprotectionforpupils fromonlineharmsandincidents.”
ExoClickSL
“ExoClickfullysupportstheInternetWatchFoundation(IWF)intheirmission tostampoutchildsexualabuseonline.AsanactiveMember,wedonatefunds towardstheservicesthattheIWFprovideandthegreatworkthatthe organisationdoesintheglobalfightagainsteverincreasinglevelsofchild sexualabusematerial.Wehavezerotolerancetowardsanyformofthe exploitationandonlineharmofchildren.Asanonlinebusiness,wheneverwe encountersuchcontent,weimmediatelynotifytheIWFusingtheirreporting tool.WeareproudtohelptheserviceandtheswiftactionsthattheIWFtake toridtheinternetofthiscontent.WewillcontinuetosupporttheIWFinthe yearstocome.”
CleanDNS
“TheinternethasascourgeofmaterialsandbehaviourstowhichtheInternet WatchFoundation(IWF)hassteppeduptoaddressandmitigate.As
CleanDNS’smissionstatementis“Cleaninguptheinternetforgood”weshare thecommitmentoftheIWFofprotectingvictims.Viaourmembershipsupport andoureffortstostreamlinetheprocessingandevidencingofdomains reportedforvictimisation,weensurerapidassessmentbyIWFandmitigation viaCleanDNS.Therewillbenoconcessioninoureffortstomitigateandend
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theseharms.WeareproudtosupportIWF’sroleinkeepingtheinternetasafer place.”
Hutchison3GUKLtd(ThreeUK)
“TheInternetWatchFoundation’sworkhasbeeninvaluabletoThreeUKand hashelpedusdeliverastep-changeinhowwegoaboutcombatingonline crime–inallitsforms.WelookforwardtocontinuingtoworkwithIWFover thenextyearandbeyond,tobuildonthisevenfurther.”
GeorgeRobinson,Hutchison3GUKLtdHeadofGovernmentRelations
Jagex
“Whilemostonlineactivityisbenign,fun,engagingandinformative,less desirablepartsofeverydaysocietyunfortunatelyalsoemerge.Aswithany onlineforum,gamesencounterthisfromtimetotime–rangingfrominternet trollsandharassmenttoaccounthijacking,childexploitationandself-harm.As livinggamesareamicrocosmofsociety,thereisaresponsibilityforcompanies whichdevelopthosegamestoactresponsibly,proactivelyseekingoutthese problemstotacklethemeffectively.Asabusiness,oneofourkeyareasof expertiseisinhowwemonitorbillionsoflinesoflivechat–allday,allnight, everyday–todetectunwantedactivity.Tohelpthisprocess,wehavebuiltour ownheuristiccomputer-basedtools,alongsidealargeanddedicatedinternal team.WeareproudtocontinuetoworkcloselywiththeInternetWatch Foundation,theNationalCrimeAgencyanditsChildExploitationandOnline Protectioncommand,localpolice,aswellasotherorganisationsandvideo gamestradebodiessuchasUKInteractiveEntertainment,toleanontheir expertise.Weformpartofanetworkthathelpsidentifytrendsandshapeselfregulatoryresponsesandofficialaction.It’sanecosystemtowhichwe welcomeevenmorelivinggamesmakerstojoin.”
CrispThinkingGroupLtd
“Crisp,aKrollbusiness,haspartneredwiththeInternetWatchFoundation (IWF)foroveradecade,workingjointlyonnationalandinternationalpolicy, technology,AIanddatasolutions,aswellaspoweringourPlatformRisk IntelligencesolutionswithuniquedatasourcesfromtheIWF.Asanactive memberoftheglobalonlinesafetycommunity,Crisprecognisesthecritical valueofatrulynetworkedresponse.Wecontinuetoinvestresourcesatall
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levelsofmembershipstoensurethatwearehelpingtoshapethefutureofa saferdigitalworldforeveryone.”
Coinbase
“Coinbaseiscommittedtorootingoutillicitactivitywithinourbusinessandthe sector.Asacompanywearefullyawareoftherealdamagethatharmful contentonlinecanhaveonoursociety.Thisiswhywehavesoughttowork withtheInternetWatchFoundation.Theworktheydoisinvaluableandmakes arealdifferencetopeople’slives.Welookforwardtocontinuingour partnershipandhelpingthemachievetheirmissionofmakingtheonlineworld asafeplaceforeveryone.”
CoinbaseGlobalIntelligenceteam
RMEducation
“RMEducationisproudtosupporttheInternetWatchFoundation(IWF)in theirworktoremovechildsexualabuseimageryonline.Inourworkproviding technologysolutionstothousandsofschoolsandtrustsacrosstheUK,RMhas beenleadingthewayinonlinesafetyineducationforover25years.Working withpartnerssuchastheIWFbringsusonestepclosertoimprovingsafetyfor studentsandschoolstaffonline,withoutgettinginthewayofteachingand learninginanincreasinglydigitalenvironment.
Senso
“SensoareproudtosupporttheInternetWatchFoundation(IWF)intheir missiontodetect,disrupt,removeandpreventonlinechildsexualabuse.Our safeguardingplatformoffersunprecedentedsafeguardingcapabilities, protectingusersusingschool-owneddeviceswhethertheyareinschoolor learningfromhome,byproactivelymonitoringandindicatingtorelevantstaff, anyuserswhomaybevulnerableoratrisk,userswhomayposeariskto othersandinappropriate,off-taskorharmfulbehaviour.Senso’scloud-based solutionshaveenabledthousandsofschoolstomonitor,manageandprotect theirstudentswhileonline.Wearecommittedtodoingwhat’snecessaryto ensurechildrenareprotectedonlinewiththehelpfrompartnerslikeIWF.”
BumbleInc.
“AtBumbleInc.,safetyisatoppriorityandatthecoreofeverythingwedo.We approachsafetythroughthelensofthemostvulnerableusersofonline platforms:women,peopleofcolour,andmembersofunderrepresented
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communities.Althoughusersunder18yearsoldarenotallowedonour products,childandyouthsafetyisparamountandsomethingwetake seriously.OurpartnershipwiththeInternetWatchFoundationhelpsus strengthenourcapabilitiestobetterandquicklydetectandremovechild sexualabusematerialandthoseresponsibleforthedistributionofthese materials.Thismeansthatwecantakeswiftactionbeforeit’ssharedonour platforms,preventingitfromfurtherperpetuatingharmtovictimsand exposingotherstothisharmfulcontent.Italsoenablesustoreportto authoritiesandaidintheinvestigationandprosecutionofthesecrimessothat theycanmaketheinternetasaferplaceforeveryone.”
Google
“SinceGoogle’searliestdays,we’vebeencommittedtofightingthespreadof childsexualabusematerialbothonourplatformsandinthebroaderonline ecosystem.We’veinvestedheavilyincutting-edgetechnology,speciallytrainedteams,andshareourtechnicalexpertise,resources,andtoolswith NGOsandindustrycoalitionstohelpothersfightchildsexualabuseand exploitation,andbuildasaferinternetforall.Wehavealongandvalued partnershipwiththeInternetWatchFoundation(IWF),anorganisationdeeply committedtothefightagainstthisawfulcrime.TheIWFHashListisavaluable repositoryforthetechindustryandspecialistNGOs.Moreover,contentflags fromtheIWFTakedownNoticesservice–combinedwiththeirproactive approach–helppreventtherevictimisationofchildvictimsaroundtheworld. We’reproudtocalltheIWFoneofourcoretrustedpartnersinthefightagainst childsexualabusematerial.”
AmandaStorey,SeniorDirectorofTrust&SafetyatGoogle
Nominet
“Nominet,asthe.UKregistry,greatlyvalueourworkwiththeInternetWatch Foundation(IWF)tocreateasaferandsecureinternet.Weprovideaccessto IWFtoourdomainportfolios,andarepleasedthatthisyeartodate,theIWF havenotidentifiedanycasesofchildsexualabusematerialinrelationto.UK, .Cymruand.Walesdomains.NominetarealsoproudtosupportIWFthrough ourCounteringOnlineHarmsInnovationFund.IWFarealreadyattheforefront oftacklingonlineimagesandvideosofchildrenbeingsexuallyabused.
Nominet’sfundingaimstoensuretheycanstayonestepaheadofperpetrators bypre-emptingemergingthreatsandbyfast-trackingresearchandideaswith
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potentialtomakeavitaldifferencetothelivesofchildren.We’veseenoverthe pastyearhowIWFhaveachievedthisinpractice,usingNominet’sfundingto innovatesolutionsthatallowmorechildsexualabuseimagerytoberemoved morequicklyandefficiently.”
Natterhub
“Asanonlinesafetysolutionproviderforprimaryschools,weworkwiththe InternetWatchFoundation(IWF)toraiseawarenessofchildren’sonline vulnerabilities.TheIWFannualreportprovidesuswithkeydataonthe greatestthreatschildrenfaceonlinetoday.Werecentlycollaboratedona Natterhubcampaign:‘Havetheconversationbeforesomeoneelsedoes’.Our sharedaimwastoencourageregularandrelevantdiscussionswithyoung peopleabouttheironlineexperiences,asapreventativemeasure.Weused transcriptexamplesprovidedbyIWFanalystsforthecampaignmessaging. Despitecomingtogetheroversomeveryserioustopics,itisalwaysapleasure toworkwiththeIWFteam.”
Cyren
“Riddingtheinternetofchildabuseimageryissimplyamatterofgoodversus evil.TheInternetWatchFoundation’smissionisanunfortunatenecessity,and areminderofthedarknessintheworld.Wearethankfulfortheirdedicated effortstoprotectchildrenandproudtoworkwiththemtoblockharmfulonline content.”
Verisign
“Asaproviderofcriticalinternetinfrastructure,Verisigniscommittedtoits missionofhelpingtoensurethesafetyandsecurityoftheinternet.Our partnershipwiththeInternetWatchFoundationandtheabilitytotrustthe informationthattheyprovidetoushasbeeninvaluableinoureffortstomake real,measurabledifferencesinthefightagainstchildsexualabusematerial online.”
Globe
“Astheleadingfull-servicetelecommunicationscompanyinthePhilippines, Globeconnectsitsmillionsofcustomerstomuch-neededonlineservices throughitssuiteofdigitalsolutionsproducts.Initsbusinessoperations,it understandsthatexposuretothedigitalworldalsocomeswithvulnerabilities
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andchallenges.Underits#MakeITSafeprogramme,Globepartneredwiththe InternetWatchFoundation(IWF)tobolstertheirfightagainstonlinesexual abuseandexploitationofchildrenbyblocking,reporting,andremoving sensitivecontentwithinitsonlinenetworktopromotechildsafety.In2022, GlobeandIWFcelebratedWorldSaferInternetDayalongsidepartnersfrom UNICEFPhilippinesandtheSaferKidsPHConsortium,CitizenWatch,and BantayKonsyumer,Kalsada,Kuryente(BK3)throughavirtualpublicwebinar thathighlightedtheimportanceofholisticcooperationamongthepublicand privatesectors,internationalandcivilsocietyorganisations,anddigitalcitizens infightingonlinesexualabuseandexploitationofchildren.Globehasinvested over$2.7millionforcontentfilteringsystemstoblockwebsitesandonline imagerythatpromotechildsexualabuseandpiracy.Todate,ithasblockeda totalof360,106URLsand1,614domainslinkedtochildsexualabusematerial withtheIWF.Globeremainssteadfastinitscommitmenttokeepits customerssafeintheirinteractionsonline.”
Cloudflare
“TheInternetWatchFoundation(IWF)Memberservicesareintegral componentstoCloudflare’schildsafetyeffortsacrossourvastglobalnetwork andthemillionsofwebpropertiesthatuseourservices.Cloudflaregreatly valuestheexpertiseanddedicationoftheIWFasweworktogetherin supportingthecriticalmissionoftheswiftdetectionandremovalofchild sexualabusematerial.”
SafetoNet
“SafeToNetisaMemberoftheInternetWatchFoundation(IWF)andregular attendeeattheFundingCouncilmeetings.TheroletheIWFplayinworldwide effortstotackleonlineharmsiswellknownandrightfullywidely acknowledgedandlauded.Inaddition,theassistance,andopportunitiesthey providetocompaniessuchasSafeToNettopartneranddevelopinnovative technologiesispriceless.Overthepastfewmonths,wehaveworkedclosely withthefantasticinformationtechnologyteamledbyIWFCTODanSextonto jointlycreatetechnologythatseekstopreventthecreationandwidespread distributionofchildsexualabusematerial.”
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Zoom
“Halfamillionbusinessesandhundredsofthousandsofschoolsandhigher educationinstitutionsgloballychooseZoomfortheircriticalcommunications. Wetakeseriouslyourresponsibilitytoensurethesafety,privacyandsecurity ofourusersandtheirdata,butthisworkisnotdonealone.Zoomisaproud MemberoftheInternetWatchFoundation(IWF)andourmembershipisa criticalelementinourefforttocombatchildsexualabusematerialonline.We arefortunateonadailybasistocollaboratewith,andlearnfrom,non-profits, industrypeersandgovernmentinstitutionstorefineourpoliciesandhowwe detect,deterandpreventthespreadofchildsexualabusematerialonline.We lookforwardtoworkingcloselywiththeIWFonoursharedmissioninthe yearsahead.”
WelshGovernment
“Asagovernment,weareabsolutelycommittedtoplayingourpartinkeeping childrenandyoungpeoplesafeonline.Weareproudthatwewerethefirst governmentbodytobecomeaMemberoftheInternetWatchFoundation (IWF)in2021.MembershipallowsustodeployIWFservicesonHwb,the nationaldigitallearningplatforminWales.Aswellashelpingtokeepour learnerssafeonline,weconsiderourmembershipasanimportantwayto supportIWF’songoingworktoeliminateonlinechildsexualabusecontent globallyandensurethevitalcontinuationoftheirreportservices.Wehave renewedourmembershipfor2022-23andvalueIWFmembershipasacore partofourHwbservice.”
NetSupport
“PartofNetSupport’smissionistosupportsaferonlineenvironmentsin schoolsthroughoureducationsolutions.Wehaveimmenserespectforthe valuableandchallengingworktheInternetWatchFoundationdoes,andwe areproudtoincorporatetheirkeywordlistintoourtechnologytohelpus protectthousandsofstudentsworldwidefromonlinerisksastheylearn.”–Al Kingsley,NetSupportCEO
G2WebServices
“G2isproudtohaveworkedalongsidetheInternetWatchFoundation(IWF) since2014.Thelevelofknowledgeanddedicationshownbytheteamis outstanding.TheservicesIWFprovideinriddingtheinternetofchildsexual
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abusematerialareinvaluable.WewillcontinuetoworkwiththeIWFin combattingchildexploitationandcreatingasaferdigitallandscapeforchildren acrosstheglobe.”
Converge
“TheInternetWatchFoundation(IWF)hasbeeninstrumentalinthesafer internetadvocacyofConverge.Ithashelpedthecompanyputforwardits campaignagainsttheonlinesexualabuseandexploitationofchildrenby blockingunsafesitesinitsnetwork.ThetimelyadviceofIWFandprompt communicationshaveallowedConvergetoactdecisivelyonissuesthatmatter mosttoourcustomersandthesocietyingeneral.ByprovidingConvergewith qualityinformationonmaliciouswebsites,thecompanycanfilteritsnetwork.
Theconsistentupdateshavehelpedthecompany’snetworkoperationsteam tokeepupwithdangeroustrendsonline.Movingforward,Convergeseesits partnershipwithIWFasanintegralpartofitsadvocacies.Convergeseesthis collaborationasafoundationinitsjourneytocreateabetter,secure,andsafe digitalhighwayforthemostvulnerableonlineusers–ourchildren.”
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IWF reporting portals
Manycountriesaroundtheworldhavenocurrentwayfortheircitizensto reportsuspectedonlinechildsexualabuseimagery.Thisiswhywehave establishedaglobalnetworkofreportingportalswhichprovideanonlinelink directlytoourteamofexpertanalystsintheUK.
Weworkinpartnershipwithlocalgovernment,police,industry,fundersand charitiestosetupandpromotetheportals,whicharecustomisedwebpages locallybrandedtosuitthehostcountry.Whenreportsareconfirmedas criminalbytheteaminourUKHotline,weworktohavetheimagesandvideos removedfromtheinternet.
We’reproudtohave50activeportalstoday–51includingtheUK–whichgive billionsofpeoplegloballyasafeplacetoreportsuspectedpicturesandvideos onlineandhelptopreventtherepeatvictimisationofthosewho’vealready sufferedtheworstkindsofabuse.
In2022wepartneredwithtwoleadingglobalorganisationstolaunchportals foruseinmorethanonecountryornation.
Ourlong-termpartnershipwiththeUS-basedInternationalCentreforMissing andExploitedChildren(ICMEC)ledtothelaunchoftheIWF/ICMECReporting
Annual Report 2022 (i)IWF
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Portalforpeopleinanycountrywithoutareportingsolutiontoanonymously reportchildsexualabuseimagery.
ICMECCEO,BobCunninghamsaid:“Childsexualabusematerialisaglobal problemthatdemandsaglobalsolution.Thetraumaforvictimsofchildsexual abusecontinueseverytimeimagesorvideosoftheirabuseareviewed. ThroughourpartnershipwithIWFtobringreportingcapabilitiestoevery citizenaroundtheworld,wearestoppingthefurtherabuseofchildrenand makingtheinternetasaferplaceforeveryone.”
WealsopartneredwithoneofAfrica’slargesttelecommunicationsproviders andIWFMemberMTNtolaunchtheChildSafetyOnlineAfricaPortal.While23 countriesinAfricaalreadyhavetheirownreportingportalorhotline,theChild SafetyOnlineAfricaPortalwillbeaccessibleincountrieswherethereisnotyet areportingmechanismtoensureevenmorecountriesonthecontinentare abletoreportchildsexualabusematerial.
NompiloMorafo,ChiefSustainabilityandCorporateAffairsOfficeratMTN said:“Protectingchildrenonlineisaglobalchallenge,whichrequiresaglobal approach.AsweleaddigitalsolutionsforAfrica’sprogress,wehaveacritical roleinensuringthateveryAfricanchildiskeptsafeonline.Inalignmentwith ourAfricanvalues,weneedtojoinforcestocreateasafeonlinevillageforour children.Onewheretheyarefreefromfear,humiliation,andabuse.Onewhere theycanhaveanormalchildhood.”
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Charity of the year
WebeganourCharityoftheYearpartnershipprogrammein2021.Through thisschemewecurrentlyworkwithfirms,bothinCambridgeandfromthe widerUK,whoselecttheIWFastheircharityoftheyearandsupportusina varietyofways,includingrunningfundraisersonourbehalf,andraisingthe profileoftheIWFthroughtheirnetworks.
Thesepartnershipsallowustocollaboratecloselywithorganisationswith whomwesharecommonvaluesandethicsbutwhowewouldotherwisenot normallygettheopportunitytoworkalongside.
Weengagepositivelywithourpartners,helpingthemtofulfiltheircorporate socialresponsibilityobjectivesthroughactivitiesthatencourageteamworkand positivestaffparticipationwhilebringingattentiontothevitalworkthatwedo attheIWF.
Wehopetogrowthisprogrammewithorganisationsthatwouldliketowork withus,whetherfromtheUKorfurtherafield.
BDB
BDBPitmansisalawfirmwithofficesinLondon,Southampton,Readingand Cambridge.TheCambridgebranchchoseusastheirCharityoftheYearin summer2021,andwe’reproudthattheywanttocontinueworkingwithus untilatleastsummer2023.
Fundraisingactivityhasincludedeventssuchassponsorshipofcharityrunners andcharityrunningvestsattheCambridgeHalfMarathonandsellingbranded lanyardstotheirstaffacrosstheUK.
BDBPitmanshavealsoprovidedregularuseoftheirLondonandCambridge officestohostIWFmeetingsandtrainingsessions.Theirnationwideclient
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magazine,BuildingBetter,featuredadouble-pagespreadfocusedonIWF’s tech-for-goodwork,toencouragesupportandincreaseawarenessofour organisation.
ThefirmregularlypromotestheIWFontheirwebsiteandsocialmediaand offersawealthofin-houseexpertise,includingspecialistcharitylawyerswho canbeonhandforadvice.
Trenches Law
WeweredelightedtopartnerwithHampshirefirmTrenchesLawinthe summerof2022.Legalexpertsinelectroniccommunications,thefirm’s responsibilitiesincludeworkingwithalternativenetworkISPsintheUK.Thisis akeyfuturesectorfortheIWFtoengagewithinourworktoprotectall internetusers.
BDBPitmansMarketingDirectorKevinPeake
BDB PITMANS • I
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AttheConnectedBritainConferenceinSeptember2022,TrenchesLaw promotedtheIWFattheirexhibitionstandandaidedintroductionsonour behalfwithprospectiveMembers.
Aswellasfuturefundraisingefforts,TrenchesLawemployeesrunanannual charitydaywhenthey’llcarryouttheirchosenfundraisingactivityinsupportof theIWF.
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Cryptocurrency unit
In2022welauncheda‘cryptounit’intheHotlinetorespondtothe increasinguseofcryptocurrenciesbyoffenderstopayforsexualcontentof childrenonline.
Ouranalystshadfoundthatwebsitesofferingcryptocurrencypaymentfor childsexualabuseimageshaddoubledalmosteveryyearsince2015.
Werecordvaluabledatafromchildsexualabusewebsitepaymentpages, includinginformationaboutthewordingused,thetypeofvirtualcurrencyand theamount,aswellasthecryptocurrencywalletaddressoftheprovider.
Theunitworkscloselywithlawenforcementfromaroundtheworldwhouse theinformationweprovidetotraceandidentifycriminalsthroughcryptoand othercurrencytransactionsonline.
Analystsintheunitreceivedailyqueriesfromorganisationssuchasthe MetropolitanPoliceintheUKtotheUSInternalRevenueService’sCriminal Investigationbranchwhorequestinformationaboutwebsitesandcrypto addressesthatmaybelinkedtoillegalactivity.
Aspartoftheirresponsibilities,thecryptounitalsoprovidesdatasetstoIWF Membersforspecificprojects,monitorsnewpaymentsitesandsendsregular cryptocurrencyupdatesviavirtualalerts.
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Bysharingthepaymentinformationdisplayedoncommercialchildsexual abusewebsiteswithpartnersinthefinancialindustrywecanhelptoprevent misuseoftheirservicesanddisruptfurtherspreadofthecriminalimagery.
DetectiveInspectorDarrenYoung,fromtheOnlineChildSexualAbuseand ExploitationunitattheUKMetropolitanPolicesaid:“TheMetropolitanPolice Serviceiscommittedtousingallavenuespossibletoidentifyvictimsand perpetratorsofonlinechildsexualabuseandexploitation.
“Weareseeingcryptocurrencybeingusedtopayforthedistributionofabusive imagesandtheonlinesexualexploitationofchildren,withperpetrators believingtheycanhidebehindtheanonymityofthesevirtualcurrencies.
“TheIWFhasbeenakeypartnertolawenforcementformanyyearsandthe newlyformedcryptounitprovidesgreateropportunitiestocombatthese horrendouscrimes,rescuechildrenfromsexualabuseandarrestoffenders.”
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Glossary
Bannersite:Awebsiteorwebpagemadeupofadvertsforotherwebsiteswith textlinksorimagesthattakeyoutothird-partywebsiteswhenyouclickon them.
Blog:Ablogisadiscussionorinformationsitemadeupofseparateentries,or posts.Mostareinteractive,andvisitorscanleavecommentsandeven messageeachotherontheblog.Theinteractivityiswhatmakesthemdifferent fromotherstaticwebsites.
CAID:TheChildAbuseImageDatabase(CAID)isaprojectledbytheHome OfficewhichenablesUKlawenforcementtoassess,categoriseandgenerate uniquehashesfortensofmillionsofchildabuseimagesandvideosfound duringtheirinvestigations.
CategoryA,BandC:
WeassesschildsexualabuseimagesandvideosbasedonUKlaw,according tothelevelsintheSentencingCouncil’sSexualOffencesDefinitiveGuidelines. SinceApril2014,therehavebeenthreelevels:
A:Imagesinvolvingpenetrativesexualactivity;imagesinvolvingsexualactivity withananimalorsadism.
B:Imagesinvolvingnon-penetrativesexualactivity.
C:OtherindecentimagesnotfallingwithincategoriesAorB.
Childsexualabuseimages/videos/imagery/content/material:Imagesor videosthatshowthesexualabuseofchildren.Weusetheterm‘childsexual abuse’imagestoreflectthegravityoftheimageswedealwith.
Cryptographichash:Acryptographichashisadigitalfingerprintofanyformof digitaldata.Cryptographicalgorithmscanhashasingleword,anmp3,azipfile –anythingdigital.Cryptographichashescanbeusedtoidentifyexactmatches ofthatdigitaldata.
Cyberlockers:Filehostingservices,cloudstorageservicesoronlinefile storageproviders.Theyareinternethostingservicesspecificallydesignedto hostusers’files.
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Darknet:Thedarknet,alsoknownasthedarkweb,isthehiddenpartofthe internetaccessedusingTor.Torisanonymitysoftwarethatmakesitdifficultto traceusers’onlineactivity.
Disguisedwebsites:Websiteswhich,whenloadeddirectlyintoabrowser, showlegalcontent—butwhenaccessedthroughaparticularpathway(or referrerwebsite)showillegalcontent,forexamplechildsexualabuseimages.
Domainalerts:Detailsofdomainnamesthatareknowntobehostingchild sexualabusecontent.
Forum:Alsoknownasa‘messageboard’,aforumisanonlinechatsitewhere peopletalkoruploadfilesintheformofposts.Aforumcanholdsub-forums, andeachofthesecouldhaveseveraltopics.Withinatopic,eachnew discussionstartediscalledathread,andanyforumusercanreplytothis thread.
Gatewaysites:Awebpagethatprovidesdirectaccesstochildsexualabuse materialbutdoesnotitselfcontainit.
GPUs(GraphicsProcessingUnits):sometimescalled“graphicscards”are designedtodolotsofsimultaneouscalculationsindependently.Typically, they’reusedingamingbuttheycanalsobeusedtosolvemoregeneral purposecomputationalproblemsonlargescaledata.
Hash/hashes:A‘hash’isauniquecode,orstringoftextandnumbers generatedfromthebinarydataofapicture.Hashescanautomaticallyidentify knownchildsexualabuseimageswithoutneedingtoexamineeachimage individually.Thiscanhelptopreventonlinedistributionofthiscontent.
Hiddenservices:Websitesthatarehostedwithinaproxynetwork,sotheir locationcan’tbetraced.
Imageboard:Animageboardisatypeofinternetforumthatoperatesmostly throughpostingimages.They’reusedfordiscussionsonavarietyoftopics, andaresimilartobulletinboardsystems,butwithafocusonimages.
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Imagehost/Imagehostingsite:Animagehostingserviceletsusersupload imageswhicharethenavailablethroughauniqueURL.ThisURLcanbeused tomakeonlinelinks,orbeembeddedinotherwebsites,forumsandsocial networkingsites.
IWFReportingPortal:Aworld-classreportingsolutionforchildsexualabuse content,forcountrieswhichdon’thaveanexistingHotline.
Keywords:Alistoftermsassociatedwithchildsexualabusematerial searches.
Newsgroups:Internetdiscussiongroupsdedicatedtoavarietyofsubjects. Usersmakepoststoanewsgroupandotherscanseethemandcomment. Sometimescalled‘Usenet’,newsgroupsweretheoriginalonlineforumsanda precursortotheWorldWideWeb.
Non-photographicchildsexualabusecontent:Imagesandvideosofchild sexualabusewhicharen’tphotographs,forexamplecomputer-generated images.
Perceptualhash:Aperceptualhashisadigitalfingerprintofanimagewhich hasbeencreatedusinganalgorithm.Perceptualhashesenablenearduplicatesofthatimagetobeidentified.
Proactive/proactivelysearching/proactivelyseeking:Wecannowactively searchforchildsexualabusecontent,inadditiontotakingpublicreports. We’reoneofonlyafewHotlinesintheworldthatcandothis.
Proxynetwork:Thesearesystemsthatenableonlineanonymity,accelerate servicerequests,encryption,securityandlotsofotherfeatures.Someproxy software,suchasTor,attemptstoconcealthetruelocationofservices.
Revictimisation:Revictimisation,orrepeatvictimisationiswhathappenstoa victimwhentheirimageissharedonline.Asingleimageofavictimcanbe sharedhundredsorthousandsoftimes.
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ServiceProvider/InternetServiceProvider:Aninternetserviceprovider(ISP) isacompanyororganisationthatprovidesaccesstotheinternet,internet connectivityandotherrelatedservices,likehostingwebsites.
Socialnetworkingsite:Asocialnetworkingserviceisaplatformtobuildsocial relations.Itusuallyhasarepresentationofeachuser(oftenaprofile),their sociallinksandavarietyofotherservices.PopularexamplesincludeFacebook andTwitter.
‘Self-generated’childsexualabuseimagery:Weregardtheterm‘selfgenerated’childsexualabuseasaninadequateandpotentiallymisleading termwhichdoesnotfullyencompassthefullrangeoffactorsoftenpresent withinthisimagery,andwhichappearstoplacetheblamewiththevictim themselves.Childrenarenotresponsiblefortheirownsexualabuse.Untila bettertermisfound,however,wewillcontinuetousetheterm‘selfgenerated’as,withintheonlinesafetyandlawenforcementsectors,thisis wellrecognised.
Top-leveldomain(TLD):Domainsatthetopofthedomainnamehierarchy. Forexample.com,.organd.infoareallexamplesofgenerictop-leveldomains (gTLDs).Thetermalsocoverscountrycodetop-leveldomains(ccTLDs)like.uk forUKor.usforUSandsponsoredtop-leveldomains(sTLDs)like.mobior.xxx
URL:AnacronymforUniformResourceLocator.AURListhespecificlocation whereafileissavedonline.Forexample,theURLoftheIWFlogowhich appearsonthewebpagewww.iwf.org.ukiswww. iwf.org.uk/themes/iwf/images/theme-images/logo.png.
Webpage:Adocumentwhichcanbeseenusingawebbrowser.Asingle webpagecanholdlotsofimages,text,videosorhyperlinksandmanywebsites willhavelotsofwebpages.www.iwf.org.uk/about-iwfand www.iwf.org.uk/Hotlinearebothexamplesofwebpages.
Website:Awebsiteisasetofrelatedwebpagestypicallyservedfromasingle webdomain.Mostwebsiteshaveseveralwebpages.
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