Newsgroups
Since the IWF's formation in 1996, child sexual abuse content found in Usenet newsgroups has presented us with a challenge. Worldwide there are more than 100,000 newsgroups. Members of the public can upload content directly to newsgroups and the content is not controlled by internet service providers (ISPs). Although newsgroups with child sexual abuse content represent a very small proportion of the total number of newsgroups available, the IWF regularly receives reports about such newsgroups.
The IWF Hotline team has a systematic process for monitoring the content of newsgroups and for notifying ISPs of individual newsgroup postings where child sexual abuse content has been identified to enable them to remove these postings. We also provide data on newsgroups which regularly contain child sexual abuse images and those that advertise or advocate paedophile content or activity to ISPs and newsgroup service providers.
To sign up for newsgroups data please contact IWF via: members@iwf.org.uk
