Internet Watch Foundation

Bitly Takes Action To Enhance The Future of User Safety With New IWF Partnership

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, December 14, 2023
Safety, URL, Platform, CSAM, Child, QR, Trust, IWF, Partnership, Internet, Internet Watch Foundation, Online shopping, Bitly

NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitly Inc., the world's leading connections platform, announced a new partnership with UK-based nonprofit Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to detect and block child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The partnership will allow Bitly to use the IWF's URL list and other tech services to remove and block links or scans that lead to CSAM images further safeguarding its Platform and users. Bitly is the first Connections Platform, a service that enables users to create, share, and track custom short URLs, QR codes, and Link-in-bio all in one place, to establish itself with this initiative. This marks a significant step in the company's commitment to overcome human rights issues within the technology industry.

Key Points: 
  • Internet safety is a key pillar for Bitly, given the breadth of its platform.
  • Millions of links and QR codes are created by Bitly users every day, translating into billions of clicks per month.
  • Bitly has committed to investing in a combination of non-profit organizations (like the IWF), third-party vendors, and trusted technology partners while also developing proprietary technology to ensure user safety and improve industry standards.
  • Our job is extraordinarily challenging and now with Bitly we are one step closer to creating a safer future for all internet users."

SS8 Partners with Internet Watch Foundation to Offer Hash List in Intellego XT

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Data Management, Legal, Technology, Law Enforcement, Emergency Services, Professional Services, Philanthropy, Public Policy, Government, Children, Other Technology, Foundation, Telecommunications, Software, Networks, Consumer, Data Analytics, Internet, Survivor, Internet Watch Foundation, Partnership, Crime, Law enforcement, Intelligence, Hash list, CSAM, IWF, SS8, Child, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Law enforcement agency, Society, Location intelligence, Cryptocurrency

The partnership will allow IWF’s Hash List to be included in SS8’s Intellego XT solution used by Law Enforcement Agencies around the world.

Key Points: 
  • The partnership will allow IWF’s Hash List to be included in SS8’s Intellego XT solution used by Law Enforcement Agencies around the world.
  • The compiled Hash List is then provided to companies, law enforcement agencies and governments who cooperatively work to block and remove the criminal content.
  • Due to the partnership with IWF, SS8 will be including the Hash List in its Intellego XT product.
  • “SS8 shares in our vision to remove this criminal content and we are pleased that our dynamic Hash List will be made available to their law enforcement clients.”

Online predators target children’s webcams, study finds

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
Online, Cisco Webex, Technology, Microsoft Teams, Conversation, BlueJeans, Awareness, Method, Parent, Internet Watch Foundation, The Conversation, Microsoft, Research, Privacy, Google Meet, Information, GoTo Meeting, Social media, Risk, Love, Child, Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters, Knowledge, Behavior, Safety, Toy, Video game, Online shopping, Nightclub, Cassette tape

Increasingly, predators are using advances in technology to engage in technology-facilitated sexual abuse.

Key Points: 
  • Increasingly, predators are using advances in technology to engage in technology-facilitated sexual abuse.
  • Our current research examines the methods online predators use to compromise children’s webcams.
  • To do this, we posed online as children to observe active online predators in action.

Chatbots

    • We began by creating several automated chatbots disguised as 13-year-old girls.
    • We deployed these chatbots as bait for online predators in various chatrooms frequently used by children to socialize.
    • In contrast, the automated chatbots we used gathered data about active offenders and the current methods they use to facilitate sexual abuse.

Methods of attack

    • Some predators were explicit in their desires and immediately offered payment for videos of the child performing sexual acts.
    • In addition to these commonly used tactics, we found that 39% of conversations included an unsolicited link.
    • It was immediately obvious to us how some of these links could help a predator victimize a child.

Whereby video meetings

    • The offender does not need to be technically savvy or socially manipulative to gain access to a child’s webcam.
    • Instead, someone who can persuade a victim to visit a seemingly innocuous site could gain control of the child’s camera.
    • Based on our analysis, it is possible that predators could use Whereby to control a child’s webcam by embedding a livestream of the video on a website of their choosing.
    • Editor’s note: The Conversation reached out to Whereby, and a spokesperson there disputed that the feature could be exploited.
    • A recent study reported that although children are considered fluent new media users, they lack digital literacy in the area of safety and privacy.

Keeping your kids safe online

    • Here are some recommendations to help keep your kid safe while online.
    • The anonymity provided by social media sites and chatrooms facilitates the initial contact that can lead to online sexual abuse.
    • More information about online safety is available on our labs’ websites: Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Research Group and Sarasota Cybersecurity.

ECP Announces Acquisition of MindGeek, Parent Company of Pornhub

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 16, 2023
Research, YouPorn, Freedom, Law enforcement, Consent, Trust, Internet, Men.com, MindGeek, Organization, Diversity, Emerging Capital Partners, Investment, ECP, Internet Watch Foundation, Brazzers, IP, Philosophy, Safety, Child, Policy, Thorn, RedTube, Collection, Security (finance), Video game, Online shopping, Mobile phone, Pornhub

MindGeek is a dynamic tech company that manages some of the most popular adult entertainment platforms in the world.

Key Points: 
  • MindGeek is a dynamic tech company that manages some of the most popular adult entertainment platforms in the world.
  • ECP investment in MindGeek is based on the following:
    Leveraging ECP's experience and expertise to further position MindGeek as the internet's most popular platform for adult content.
  • "At ECP, we seek out innovative and ethically-driven companies that operate at the frontier of new, evolving industries.
  • MindGeek's comprehensive Trust & Safety Program includes, among other policies:
    Only verified users are able to upload content to Pornhub and other MindGeek platforms.

ECP Announces Acquisition of MindGeek, Parent Company of Pornhub

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 16, 2023
Research, YouPorn, Freedom, Law enforcement, Consent, Trust, Internet, Men.com, MindGeek, Organization, Diversity, Emerging Capital Partners, Investment, ECP, Internet Watch Foundation, Brazzers, IP, Philosophy, Safety, Child, Policy, Thorn, RedTube, Collection, Security (finance), Video game, Online shopping, Mobile phone, Pornhub

MONTREAL, March 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), a private equity firm managed by a multidisciplinary team with regulatory, law enforcement, public engagement and finance experience, today announced that it has acquired MindGeek, a technology and media company, owner of a large portfolio of adult entertainment properties, including Pornhub, YouPorn, Redtube, Brazzers, Men.com, Sean Cody, Trans Angels and Nutaku. 

Key Points: 
  • MindGeek is a dynamic tech company that manages some of the most popular adult entertainment platforms in the world.
  • ECP investment in MindGeek is based on the following:
    Leveraging ECP's experience and expertise to further position MindGeek as the internet's most popular platform for adult content.
  • "At ECP, we seek out innovative and ethically-driven companies that operate at the frontier of new, evolving industries.
  • MindGeek's comprehensive Trust & Safety Program includes, among other policies:
    Only verified users are able to upload content to Pornhub and other MindGeek platforms.

SEGPAY PARTNERS WITH INTERNET WATCH FOUNDATION

Retrieved on: 
Friday, March 10, 2023
IWF, Child, Internet, Partnership, URL, Internet Watch Foundation, Psychological abuse, Online shopping, Toy

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Segpay, a pioneer in digital payment processing, announced today its new partnership with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). The not-for-profit organization works to find and remove sexual abuse content of children online. As a member of the IWF, Segpay can access the organization's unique set of tools to help Segpay and its merchants keep child sexual abuse material off the internet.

Key Points: 
  • FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Segpay , a pioneer in digital payment processing, announced today its new partnership with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF).
  • As a member of the IWF, Segpay can access the organization's unique set of tools to help Segpay and its merchants keep child sexual abuse material off the internet.
  • "We strongly believe in the work that the Internet Watch Foundation does each day as it monitors and investigates thousands of weekly reports to keep minors safe," said Cathy Beardsley, Segpay CEO.
  • While access to the images and videos is disrupted, the IWF works to have the content removed from the internet.

Marriott International Joins the Internet Watch Foundation; Deploys Cisco Technology to Combat Online Child Sexual Abuse Material

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Umbrella, Organization, Cisco, URL, Marriott International, Internet Watch Foundation, Senior, CSAM, SafeSearch, Child, Survivor, Internet, Collection, Hotel, IWF

BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International announced today it has joined forces with UK-based nonprofit Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to combat online child exploitation by using technology solutions to restrict guest network access to websites with child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) in its hotels. The collaboration will be the first of its kind for the hotel industry and marks the next step in Marriott's commitment to address a critical human rights issue for the industry. Marriott recently marked a significant milestone in its anti-trafficking efforts, training one million associates at Marriott hotels to recognize and respond to signs of human trafficking.

Key Points: 
  • BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International announced today it has joined forces with UK-based nonprofit Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to combat online child exploitation by using technology solutions to restrict guest network access to websites with child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) in its hotels.
  • Marriott recently marked a significant milestone in its anti-trafficking efforts, training one million associates at Marriott hotels to recognize and respond to signs of human trafficking.
  • As part of this initiative with the IWF, Marriott is working with Cisco to implement its security technology to block access to CSAM-containing webpages on the IWF's blocked URL list.
  • "In 2022 the IWF identified and removed more than 255,000 webpages containing child sexual abuse imagery.

Identity Digital Releases its First DNS Anti-Abuse Report

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Statistics, Anti-Phishing Working Group, Identity, Digital, IWF, Top-level domain, Private sector, ICANN, Registry, FBI, Partnership, DND, Security, House, Internet Watch Foundation, APWG, TLD, DNS, Ecosystem, Intelligence, SSAC, Violence, Maximilian armour, Risk management, Cryptocurrency

BELLEVUE, Wash., Nov. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- To promote awareness among registrars, trusted notifiers, and end users, Identity Digital™, a leader in connecting the online world with domain names and related technologies, very recently published its first (Q2) Anti-Abuse Report. The report shares data and statistics on DNS abuse within the registry operator's TLD portfolio. The second (Q3) Anti-Abuse Report is slated to come out shortly as well. 

Key Points: 
  • The report shares data and statistics on DNS abuse within the registry operator's TLD portfolio.
  • Identity Digital automatically blocks homographic domain names, ensuring none of their variations can be registered.
  • "We're proud to publishour first Anti-Abuse Report that raises awareness on a wide range of DNS attacks and demonstrates significant progress in mitigating domain abuse within our TLD ecosystem," says Akram Atallah, CEO of Identity Digital.
  • The Identity Digital Dynamic Defense (DND) team has decades of experience dealing with DNS abuse, drafted industry-standard security frameworks, and are on the front lines of the fight against DNS abuse.

Avast Q3/2022 Threat Report: Cybergangs recruiting and rewarding supporters

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
People, Marketing, Computer, AVG, Store, United Arab Emirates, DLL, Attack, C&C, Office, SMS, Myke Cole, Software, Adobe Photoshop, Entrust, Intelligence, Internet Watch Foundation, Ransomware, Privacy, SE, Chrome, Multimedia, Google Play, IPS, IOT, Traction, Dropper (malware), Risk, Telegraphy, Government, VBA, Internet, Google, Blog, Pakistanis, Tattoo, Denial-of-service attack, NortonLifeLock, Crowdsourcing, Europol, Human, Machine learning, Mac, Weapon, Video game, Cryptocurrency, Online shopping, Mobile phone, Publishing, Avast

TEMPE, Ariz. and PRAGUE, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Avast, a global leader in digital security and privacy, today released its Q3/2022 Threat Report summarizing the cyber threat landscape derived from Avast's telemetry data and experts' insights. Avast's data shows an increase in PC adware activity at the end of September this year. Avast also protected 370% more users from Raccoon Stealer, an information stealer, in Q3/2022 than in the previous quarter. Ransomware attacks increased in some markets such as Canada, Spain, and Germany, but slightly declined at a global level. The chances of mobile users encountering a banking trojan increased by 7% quarter-on-quarter, despite Europol dismantling the Flubot group. Most malicious activities remained stable or declined.

Key Points: 
  • Avast also protected 370% more users from Raccoon Stealer, an information stealer, in Q3/2022 than in the previous quarter.
  • With over 435 million users online, Avast offers products under the Avast and AVG brands that protect people from threats on the internet and the evolving IoT threat landscape.
  • Avast digital security products for Mobile, PC or Mac are top-ranked and certified by VB100, AV-Comparatives, AV-Test, SE Labs and others.
  • Avast is a member of Coalition Against Stalkerware, No More Ransom, and the Internet Watch Foundation.

Q2/2022 Threat Report: Ransomware on the Rise

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Hive, Machine learning, Multimedia, Computer, Intelligence, VBA, Mac, Internet Watch Foundation, Conti, Blackcat Lake, IOT, IMG, APT, FTSE, Gadolinium, Disagreement, Google Chrome, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Mark (given name), LSE, AVG, Blog, Microsoft Office, Privacy, SE, ISO, LNK, Internet, Confucius, Medical device, Online shopping, Follina, Emotet, Avast, Office, Quantum, Chrome

PRAGUE, Aug. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Avast (LSE: AVST), a global leader in digital security and privacy released its Q2/2022 Threat Report today, revealing a significant increase in global ransomware attacks, up 24% from Q1/2022. Researchers also uncovered a new zero-day exploit in Chrome, as well as signals how cybercriminals are preparing to move away from macros as an infection vector.

Key Points: 
  • After months of decline, global ransomware attacks increased significantly in Q2/2022, up 24% from the previous quarter.
  • The highest quarter-on-quarter increases in ransomware risk ratio occurred in Argentina (+56%), UK (+55%), Brazil (+50%), France (+42%), and India (+37%).
  • "Consumers, but especially businesses should be on guard and prepared for encounters with ransomware, as the threat is not going anywhere anytime soon," explains Jakub Kroustek, Avast Malware Research Director.
  • "The decline in ransomware attacks we observed in Q4/2021 and Q1/2022 were thanks to law enforcement agencies busting ransomware group members, and caused by the war in Ukraine, which also led to disagreements within the Conti ransomware group, halting their operations.