The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), of which APACS is a funding member, today celebrates its tenth anniversary by launching a series of regional roadshows in Westminster.

IWF is the only authorised organisation in the UK operating an internet ‘hotline’ for the public to report their exposure to potentially illegal content online. The Foundation works in partnership with the Government, police, industry and the public to combat illegal content, specifically:

• child abuse images hosted anywhere in the world
• criminally obscene content hosted in the UK
• incitement to racial hatred content in the UK

APACS recently celebrated a joint success with the IWF in getting a change to the data protection law passed that now allows the police to pass on details of those convicted of purchasing child abuse images online to the issuer of the particular card used. The issuer will then be able to cancel the card as the paedophile will have broken the terms and conditions of using it by purchasing illegal material.

Paul Marsh, Director of Cards & Fraud Control Division at APACS, commented: “The IWF carries out a crucial role in cracking down on child abuse images hosted online and APACS is proud to support the Foundation in this. Over the ten years since it was set up, the IWF has helped reduce the amount of potentially illegal content apparently hosted in the UK from 18% to just 0.4%. We look forward to continuing to support them in this work in the future.”

The IWF are launching their UK roadshows in London with regional events following in the coming months. Anyone interested in finding out more about the events should contact the IWF.

ENDS

For more information please contact:
Rosalind Sellers, Government Relations Executive
APACS
T: 020 7711 6280
M: 07795 146 415
rosalind.sellers@apacs.org.uk

Sarah Robertson, Communications Co-ordinator
IWF
T: 01223 237 700
M: 07929 553 679
sarah@iwf.org.uk
www.iwf.org.uk