U.K.'s Internet Watchdog Given More Power, Money to Police Child Porn

LONDON — The U.K’s Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has been given new power and money to help police illegal child porn under a new zero tolerance policy put forth at a special summit called by British Culture Secretary Maria Miller.

The summit included major ISPs including TalkTalk, BT, BSkyB and Virgin Media along with Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, Twitter, Vodafone, O2, EE and Three.

The ISPs agreed to fund the IWF with a total of £1 million over four years to do its work.

In a joint statement, BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media said, “This additional funding will supplement the existing zero tolerance approach to child abuse material online, adding to the existing contributions that each company makes.”

According to the government, all of the companies attending the summit had signed a pledge to take a “zero tolerance” approach to child abuse images.

Under the new plan, the IWF and the police-run Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), will now have “the remit and the resources to take the fight to the criminals perpetrating these vile acts,” Miller said.

This gives the IWF the power for the first time to search for illegal content without fear of prosecution. Currently, the organization said its hotline system gets abut 40,000 child abuse images tips a year that they then forward to ISPs so they can be blocked.

The plan also calls for “any relevant Internet organization” that doesn’t have a warning splash page to have one on their site by the end of June. This means pages blocked by the IWF will have a warning stating the site may contain indecent or illegal content.

All of the participating companies will present a status report to the Culture Secretary within a month outlining how they will provide technical and expert support to the IWF.

The summit was announced in the wake of two recent murders, including five-year-old April Jones and 12 year-old Tia Sharp, whose killers are believed to have been spurred on by abusive images found online.

Ahead of the summit, Google announced a donation of $1.5 million to the IWF and the establishment of a technology database and fund to battle child porn.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

'MILFlicious' Launches Through YourPaysitePartner

MILFlicious.com has officially launched through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Op-Ed: The Guardian's XBIZ Amsterdam Podcast Dismisses Creators' Experiences

British newspaper The Guardian’s podcast coverage of XBIZ Amsterdam 2025 purports to investigate the power dynamics of today’s online adult industry. Instead, it ignores creators’ voices, airs tired and outdated preconceptions about the business, and rehashes the unsupported claims of anti-pornography crusaders.

Eva Maxim, BranditScan Launch 'Killer' Promo

Eva Maxim and BranditScan have partnered for the Killer Creator Giveaway promotion.

2026 XBIZ Exec Awards Nominees for Online Industry Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the nominees for the online industry edition of the 2026 XBIZ Exec Awards, set to be presented as part of the annual XBIZ Honors ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 14 in conjunction with the XBIZ 2026 digital media conference.

AEBN Publishes Report on POV Trends

AEBN has published a report on POV and gonzo categories from its straight and gay theaters.

Joybear Pictures to Launch 'I Really Love' Studio Imprint

Joybear Pictures has announced that its new studio imprint, I Really Love, will launch in January.

Pineapple Support to Host 'Life Transitions' Support Group

Pineapple Support is hosting a free online support group on navigating transitional and liminal spaces.

CamSoda Launches 'Trick or Tease' AI Companions

CamSoda has launched its Halloween-themed Trick or Tease AI companions.

Russian Lawmakers Call for Age Verification

Two Russian lawmakers have called on the country’s government to implement age verification for adult content.

British Documentary Spotlights XBIZ Amsterdam With Candid Conversations

British creator and host Josh Pieters traveled to XBIZ Amsterdam to film a documentary about the annual European adult industry conference.

Show More