As a member of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), and in conjunction with IWF Awareness day on 24th October 2007 - we at Virgin Media are keen to let you know what the IWF is doing to make the Internet a safer place.
The IWF is the only UK Internet ‘Hotline’ for the public to report their exposure to online child sexual abuse content hosted anywhere in the world and criminally obscene and incitement to racial hatred content hosted in the UK.
The IWF was founded by the Internet industry in 1996 and works in partnership with the police, Government, the wider online industry and the public to combat the availability of potentially illegal online content within its remit. As a result of this self-regulatory approach, less than 1% of online child sexual abuse content has apparently been hosted in the UK since 2003, down from 18% in 1997.
All the IWF industry members help to fund the organisation's work, support its aims and have adopted the IWF Code of Practice. We work together to ensure UK networks provide the most hostile environment for hosting abusive images and to protect UK Internet users from inadvertent exposure to online child sexual abuse content.
Through the "Hotline" reporting system, the IWF helps the online industry combat abuse of its services through a "notice and take-down" initiative by alerting them to any potentially illegal content on their systems and enabling the police to investigate the publisher. This partnership approach is recognised internationally and the IWF is committed to sharing its best practice, expertise and experience around the world, contributing to dialogue beyond the UK and Europe, to ensure greater awareness of global issues and responsibilities.
For more information or to report a website visit www.iwf.org.uk.
