Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)

A British schoolgirl whose extreme sexual abuse was recorded and spread across the internet for years is now getting support after one of our analysts identified her, thanks to images of her school uniform. We're the only non-law enforcement body in the world with access to the Government’s CAID (Child Abuse Image Database), a secure archive of child sexual abuse imagery acquired by UK police and the National Crime Agency (NCA). We have a dedicated Taskforce team that painstakingly grades, assesses, and assigns digital fingerprints (or hashes) to imagery to prevent further distribution online. This difficult but important work is vital to making sure survivors do not continue to be revictimised by the repeated sharing of their sexual abuse and can begin to recover free of the spectre of knowing their images and videos may still be out there. Read more at https://lnkd.in/equyQ-3e and support our work.

From this Friday, the EU becomes the only jurisdiction in the world where technology companies lack legal certainty to detect child sexual abuse material on their platforms. Last week, the European Parliament voted not to extend the temporary law that provided that legal basis. The consequences will be stark: fewer children safeguarded, fewer perpetrators held accountable, and offenders displaced to harder-to-reach environments re-establishing themselves on mainstream platforms. Today, the IWF – together with technology companies and platform owners – has called on EU legislators to urgently progress a permanent Child Sexual Abuse Regulation. The EU already hosts more child sexual abuse material than any other region in the world. In 2024, 62% of confirmed child sexual abuse webpages were traced to EU hosting services. Without a permanent framework, that will get worse, and the effects will not stop at EU borders. As our CEO Kerry Smith puts it: "the EU has opened the door for predators to target children without fear of reprisal. That door must be closed."   We're calling on EU lawmakers to act. Read our full statement. Link in the comment section.

Harm without limits: AI child sexual abuse material through the eyes of our Analysts – a new report from the IWF AI revictimises victims and survivors, perpetuates violence against women and girls, normalises sexual violence against children and causes operational harm to child protection systems. Whether images are created through traditional means or are AI-generated, the effect on children is the same: ongoing exploitation, loss of control and repeated trauma. We stand ready to collaborate with researchers, institutions, industry partners and other organisations to provide a strong, independent auditing function throughout every phase of tech development. Read the full report at iwf.org.uk/aireport. Get in touch for support. #AIAbuse #AIReport #DigitalViolence #ChildSafety

Last year, we took action on 312,030 reports where analysts confirmed the presence of child sexual abuse material. Our URL List is a vital tool in this battle. The tech community that uses our List to protect customers, staff and services trust our assessments, experience and knowledge. They’re partners in our mission to defend children online. Learn more about our tech-for-good and find out how we could help you: https://lnkd.in/dA2Zz5iq.

⚠️The scale and speed of AI child sexual abuse material online run the risk of overwhelming inundated reporting mechanisms and law enforcement capacity. In 2025, our team identified 3,440 AI-generated child sexual abuse videos, an increase of 26,362% compared with the previous year. Of these, 65% (2,230 videos) were classified as the most serious Category A, encompassing offences such as rape, sexual torture, and bestiality. By comparison, only 43% of confirmed non-AI criminal videos were Category A. AI is enabling the creation of material that reflects offenders’ most extreme sexual interests with unprecedented speed and accessibility. We’re calling on the UK Government to introduce further measures to prevent AI technology from being exploited to create child sexual abuse material, in addition to the successful passage of existing measures with the Crime and Polling Bill: 1️⃣Introduce and implement a ban on nudify apps and tools.   2️⃣Ensure all AI chatbots are adequately regulated under the Online Safety Act.  3️⃣Bring forward an AI Bill to ensure AI systems are safe by design, including stronger safeguards against AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Read more and share with your networks for awareness. Link in the comment section. #AIAbuse #AIReport #DigitalViolence #ChildSafety

Want to keep your kids safer online? We’ve got resources to help you take on the awkward topics – and to get them to think before sharing nudes. Download our free How To Talk guide: https://lnkd.in/eEvGktgt.

Through partnership with the Internet Watch Foundation, organisations like yours are: ✅ Driving global action ✅ Supporting critical technology and research ✅ Protecting children every single day Our partners are more than supporters - they are changemakers. Learn more about our work in partnership and join us in our mission to eradicate child sexual abuse content online: https://lnkd.in/eqDcV-Vu.

“Advances in technology should never come at the expense of a child’s safety and wellbeing. While AI can offer much in a positive sense, it is horrifying to consider that its power can be used to devastate a child’s life. This material is dangerous.” - Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) CEO Kerry Smith A new report published March 24 by the IWF reveals the full scale of AI-generated child sexual abuse images and videos discovered online by analysts in 2025.  The findings are stark, and it is only getting easier and quicker to create more extreme criminal content. The report also provides unsettling insight into how offenders delight at the ability of AI tools to recreate any cruel scenario imaginable.   EU lawmakers are being urged to recognise the “wide-reaching harms” of AI child sexual abuse imagery and to ensure that it is criminalised across all EU member states. Read more below ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/e8tAB--h