Webpages selling images of child
sexual abuse brought down by
Netsweeper and the Internet Watch
Foundation (IWF)
Thousands of images, videos and links to child sexual abuse images have been identified
by IWF Member, Netsweeper.
Netsweeper, a Canadian net-filtering company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to categorise websites
and is used in over 6,000 schools in the UK, has been assisting the IWF in identifying criminal webpages. It identified
121 URLs containing thousands of images of child sexual abuse. Netsweeper has been a Member of the Internet
Watch Foundation since 2006. The IWF is the UK Hotline for reporting images and videos of child sexual abuse. Since
April 2014 the IWF’s highly skilled analysts have been able to proactively seek out images and videos of child sexual
abuse, contributing to a 109% increase in the number of URLs removed from 2013.
Netsweeper’s team of skilled Developers and Control List Technicians fine-tuned their software to help identify such
criminal content and provide it to the IWF for assessment. A staggering 93% of the webpages Netsweeper identified to
the IWF as hosting illegal content and were therefore actionable, were associated with websites commercially offering
images of children being sexually abused. Commercial websites, providing images and videos for purchase, are a
growing issue, with the IWF removing 3,741 commercial reports in 2014 alone.
Of the 121 URLs, 113 URLs (93%) which were confirmed as child sexual abuse imagery were Category A, which is
the most severe form of sexual abuse, depicting rape and sexual torture. Eighty URLs (66%) depicted sexual abuse of
children aged 6 years and under.
Fred Langford, IWF Deputy CEO and Director of Global Operations, said: “This is a great example of a unique
way in which our Members are working with us to tackle child sexual abuse material online. Through refining their
technology and harnessing it for accurate webpage identification, Netsweeper has notified the IWF of 113 separate
webpages which were selling images of children being sexually abused for profit.”
Matthew Holt, Netsweeper Head of Europe said: “Netsweeper considers disrupting the availability of images and
videos of child sexual abuse a priority. We are proud to announce that Netsweeper resources have identified
thousands of illegal images of which the IWF has subsequently assessed and removed from the internet. With the
development of this tool we will continue to rid the internet of such inexcusable content.”
Chris, IWF Hotline Manager, said: “The Hotline team’s mission is to remove child sexual abuse images from the
internet. It is particularly rewarding to be able to assist in the removal of sites which exploit and distribute this type of
content for commercial gain. Strong partnerships with industry are an essential part of the IWF strategy. Netsweeper
has provided us with yet another tool to disrupt the online trade in illegal images.”
END
Internet Watch Foundation, an incorporated charity, limited by guarantee. Registered in England Charity No. 1112398 Company Reg. 3426366 Registered office as above
VAT Reg No. 876 3304 10
Notes to editors:
Contact: Emma Hardy, IWF Director of External Relations +44 (0) 1223 203030 or +44 (0) 7929 553679.
About the IWF
The IWF is the Hotline to report:

child sexual abuse content hosted anywhere in the world;

criminally obscene adult content hosted in the UK;

non-photographic child sexual abuse images hosted in the UK.
For more information please visit www.iwf.org.uk.
The IWF is part of the UK Safer Internet Centre, working with Childnet International and the South West Grid for
Learning to promote the safe and responsible use of technology.
About Netsweeper
Netsweeper Inc is a privately owned corporation that develops and licences Netsweeper Internet Content Filtering
Solutions. Netsweeper works closely with our clients and partners to provide solutions that address their unique
requirements. Netsweeper developed one of the first Artificial Intelligent (AI) web scanning solutions and utilise a ‘scan
once categorise for all’ architecture that enables zero hour protection to web threats. Netsweeper continues to invest
heavily in its AI technology to ensure that it can address the ever-evolving Internet and the threats and issues within.
Contact – Matthew Holt – EU Manager Netsweeper + 44 (0) 1442 800 172 or + 44 (0) 77 66 904 121
Internet Watch Foundation, an incorporated charity, limited by guarantee. Registered in England Charity No. 1112398 Company Reg. 3426366 Registered office as above
VAT Reg No. 876 3304 10