Category Archives: Virtual

We’ve intercepted 70 million people attempting to access sexual images of children with online warnings – Lucy Faithful Foundation

What if every time someone tried to access sexual images of children on the internet, they encountered a message designed to stop them from doing so?

We’ve partnered with online tech companies such as Google, Mega, Meta, and TikTok to implement warning messages on the world’s largest online platforms. Today we’re proud to launch our Impact Report for Project Intercept, which showcases what we’ve achieved. Over the past two years, warning messages on online platforms have been triggered more than 70 million times by users seeking sexual images of children online – more than 95,000 per day.

Almost 700,000 people who triggered the warnings clicked through for help to change their behaviour

These are sobering figures. Yet, viewed through a preventative lens, it is a significant success story – 70 million attempts to cause harm have been intercepted, and each user has been offered support to change their behaviour through our Stop It Now website, self-help modules, and anonymous helpline. That offer has been taken up almost 700,000 times, and where it has been, there has been strong engagement with our online self-help resources.

The warnings are triggered when people use search terms that indicate they are looking for sexual images of children (known as child sexual abuse material, or CSAM), or click links that have previously been reported as containing sexual images of children. Each month, an average of 28,000 users are redirected to the Stop It Now self-help resources.

Prevention is possible, so let’s scale warning messages on every online platform

As tens of millions of people have been reached through just 22 active warning messages, it’s clear that the potential to scale up is enormous. By placing more warnings across more online spaces, we can disrupt online child sexual abuse at the moment it’s happening and prevent countless children from being harmed.

Ben* sought support from the Stop It Now self-help modules after his searches on a pornography website triggered a warning message. “After I got the warning, I had a look around on Stop It Now”, he says. “I found the modules on addiction and pornography very helpful. About two months ago I gave up adult sites. I want to keep my mind occupied and more productive.”

This has never been more urgent, particularly as new AI technologies accelerate the spread of online child sexual abuse. Through Stop It Now, we hear every day from people who are concerned about the direction of their online behaviour, but who struggle to change without support.

We’re urging tech companies to partner with us to implement warning messages

OpenAI, Meta, TikTok, Mega, Stability AI, Civitai, BT, MovieStarPlanet, Bing, Google, Aylo, and OnlyFans are among the tech companies who have deployed warning messages. Our 22 warnings have been triggered by people in 131 different countries, and they are active in a range of sectors including file-sharing, search, social media, dating, pornography platforms, and even end-to-end encrypted and AI chatbot spaces.

Our partners don’t simply block harmful content; they offer a clear pathway to support and behaviour change.

Join us at our impact webinar

On 3 June 2026 we’re hosting a lunchtime webinar with Google and our funder Nominet with a Q&A panel to explore the findings in the report and discuss the possibilities of warning messages for deterrence in more detail.

What began as a question – can we interrupt harmful behaviour at the point of risk? – has resulted in a growing body of evidence, partnerships and real-world implementation. Find out more about Project Intercept here and start the conversation at intercept@lucyfaithfull.org.uk

*name altered for anonymity.

Part of a longer press release at https://www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk/weve-intercepted-70-million-people-attempting-to-access-sexual-images-of-children-with-online-warnings/

 

May 21, 2026

Ofcom Statement: Detecting intimate image abuse

Ofcom is publishing a statement that sets out new measures to be included in the Illegal Content Codes of Practice to tackle intimate image abuse online. This statement sets out our decision to recommend that certain service providers should use ‘hash matching’ technology to detect intimate image abuse and reduce its spread online.

The Act created offences of sharing or threatening to share intimate images without consent (‘intimate image abuse’). Intimate image abuse has profound negative psychological, emotional, professional and relational impacts on survivors and victims, compounded by the challenges they face in getting content removed, and the fear it might resurface online. Intimate image abuse is a widespread harm, evidence suggests it is increasing in prevalence, and the proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is causing a further increase. Reflecting the gravity of this development, Parliament has decided to make it an offence to make or supply AI tools that can be used to create intimate images.

Some service providers already use hash matching to tackle intimate image abuse, and the evidence suggests that it is an effective tool for detecting intimate images that have been shared without consent. More widespread use of hash matching can help reduce the volume of intimate image abuse being shared and viewed online.

In June 2025, we consulted on a number of additional safety measures, including a recommendation that certain service providers use hash matching technology to detect intimate image abuse. After careful consideration of the stakeholder feedback, we have decided to confirm this recommendation ahead of the other additional safety measures proposed in the June 2025 consultation. In recommending this measure, our aim is that service providers use a hash database that is equivalent to or better than the leading third-party database, StopNCII.org, which will materially reduce the prevalence of intimate image abuse on their services.

Full details at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/statement-detecting-intimate-image-abuse

May 21, 2026

Dating apps and social media platforms must now prevent cyberflashing, as it becomes a priority offence under the Online Safety Act

From: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Home Office, The Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP and Jess Phillips MP

  •    Online Safety Act strengthened as ‘cyberflashing’ becomes a priority offence
  • Dating apps and social media platforms now have to take proactive steps to prevent this vile content before users see it
  • New law follows a historic government strategy to halve Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) within a decade, which included a commitment to make cyberflashing a ‘priority offence’ under the Online Safety Act

People using dating apps and social media platforms will be better protected from receiving unsolicited nude images, as a new law compelling tech firms to stop this type of content before it reaches users comes into force today (Thursday 8 January).

Platforms will be required to take proactive steps to prevent this vile content from appearing in the first place, not just react after the harm is done. Tech firms will now face some of the strongest requirements under the Online Safety Act as ‘cyberflashing’ becomes a Priority Offence.

Companies could tackle these images for example by using automated systems that pre-emptively detect and hide the image, implementing moderation tools or stricter content policies.

Those that fail to comply could face fines of up to 10% of their qualifying worldwide revenue, or have their services blocked in the UK.

Bumble was the first dating app to explicitly moderate cyberflashing to protect its members from seeing unwanted pictures.

The women-first dating app launched Private Detector, an AI-powered feature that automatically detects and blurs nudity in images sent within chats. It then alerts the recipient who can choose to view, block, or report the image. The AI model is carefully trained with vast datasets to avoid misclassification.

Ofcom will now consult on new codes of practice, setting out exactly what steps platforms must take to protect users from unsolicited sexual images.

The priority offence marks another step in making the online world safer, particularly for women and children, who are disproportionately targeted. 1 in 3 teenage girls has received unsolicited sexual images*. This government is serious about ending that.

This builds on the government’s wider commitment to tackle online abuse and halve violence against women and girls, making clear that the digital world is not a law-free zone.

Through the cross-government strategy to Build a Safer Society for Women and Girls, published on 18 December, we committed to making the ‘cyberflashing’ offence a ‘priority offence’ under the Online Safety Act.

These strengthened protections will tackle the problem at the root, before women are subject to this gross violation.

  • The survey was carried out by YouGov between people aged 12–18-year-olds in England.

To read the full press release go to https://www.gov.uk/government/news/stronger-laws-for-tech-firms-to-ensure-you-dont-see-unsolicited-nudes

January 19, 2026

17 September 2025 17:00 ~ LAG Violence Against Women and Girls Update Webinar – Legal Action Group – Online

Hear directly from the authors of the Violence Against Women and Girls law and practice update from Legal Action magazine.

Nogah Ofer (Centre for Women’s Justice), Sophie Naftalin (Bhatt Murphy) and Helen Law (Matrix Chambers) will deliver this webinar based on their update from the June edition of Legal Action magazine.

The June update explores the ECHR article 3 investigative duties in the context of sexual offending, as well as failings and inadequacies in the investigation and prosecution of sexual violence, and gives an update on recent developments on the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in the context of violence against women and girls.

This webinar will be recorded and shared with everyone who registers, along with the slides.

Ends 6pm

Tickets £23.17 – Book online at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lag-violence-against-women-and-girls-update-webinar-tickets-1394363461649?aff=oddtdtcreator

 

September 12, 2025

12 September 2025 17:00 ~ DV & the Hague Abduction Convention: Safeguarding Survivors – GlobalARRK – Online

An overview of the key challenges facing victim-survivors of domestic abuse and possible solutions to combat these problems.

FiLiA Hague Mothers, GlobalARRK, Sanctuary for Families, and Revibra Europa invite you to an International Webinar: DV & the Hague Abduction Convention: Safeguarding Survivors

Speakers

  • Reem Alsalem
  • Nicole Fidler
  • Professor Joan Meier
  • Charlotte Proudman
  • Janaína Albuquerque Azevedo Gomes
  • Juliana Wahlgren
  • Nishat Hyder-Rahman
  • Survivors

FiLiA Hague Mothers, GlobalARRK, Sanctuary for Families, and Revibra Europa invite you to an International Webinar: DV & the Hague Abduction Convention: Safeguarding Survivors

In the lead-up to October’s HCCH Forum on DV and the Hague in Brazil, our jointly-hosted webinar will provide an overview of the key challenges facing victim-survivors of domestic abuse – namely, mothers and their children – as they navigate the Hague Abduction Convention in an increasingly globalised world. Speakers will also propose solutions to better protect victim-survivors in these cases.

The stellar international line-up includes legal and academic experts, frontline professionals, and survivors. They will consider the assumptions that underlie the current implementation of the Convention, and the related barriers to justice – systemic, cultural, economic – faced by mothers and their children.

Issues covered will include:

  • access to justice for women and children, gender-bias and inequality of arms
  • abduction as a protective act
  • the impact of DV and coercive control on children
  • pro-contact culture & protective measures
  • post-separation abuse & relocation.

Webinar hosts:

FiLiA Hague Mothers is a global campaign which aims to end the injustices created by the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, specifically for mothers and children who are victims of domestic abuse. We are a voluntary group of lawyers, academics, domestic abuse professionals, child psychologists, human rights and children’s rights activists, trauma specialists, and Hague mothers, all working to support and safeguard victim-survivors. We aim to amplify the voices of victim-survivors, raise awareness of the impact of domestic violence and coercive control in these cases, engage with government representatives and with the HCCH itself to challenge the bias inherent in the Convention and advocate for effective change.

GlobalARRK (GA) is the only charity that specialises in supporting ‘Stuck Parents’ – those who are unable to return home with their children after a relationship breakdown and child residence dispute. Incredibly, these Stuck Parents and their children can find themselves stranded in a country where they struggle to survive but cannot legally leave to go to live in their home country with their children. We help those Stuck Parents who are isolated, with little or no income, often dealing with domestic abuse, struggling with their mental health and with little understanding of the international law that traps them in that country. In some cases, primary carer parents and children can become separated if the parent feels that they have no choice but to go back to their home country without their child. GlobalARRK provides free emotional and practical support with a call back helpline; email and messaging; online support groups; recovery courses; befriending; factsheets; legal clinic; signposting to expert legal support. We advocate for a fairer system for stuck parents and support research that will better inform decision making and system change.

Sanctuary for Families is a New York-based NGO serving survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and related forms of gender-based violence. Every year, Sanctuary works with thousands of adults and children to address legal, clinical, housing, and economic needs. Through comprehensive services for survivors, and through outreach, education and advocacy, we strive to create a world in which freedom from gender violence is a basic human right.  The Narkis Golan International Child Abduction Initiative (NGI) is one o Sanctuary’s legal initiatives, created to support survivors facing Hague Convention Child Abduction litigation after fleeing domestic violence with their children across international borders. The NGI collaborates with law firms, legal and social services organizations, jurists, survivors, and other stakeholders to provide education and technical assistance, and to increase access to justice for survivors through pro bono legal representation.

Revibra Europa offers legal and psychological support to migrant women in Europe facing domestic violence or in need of legal assistance. Our mission is to listen to concerns, protect rights, and assist women in making informed decisions about their lives. A key aspect of our work involves providing advice and support to mothers dealing with Hague and family courts – often without resources, support networks or legal representation.

Ends at 20:30

Free but please register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dv-the-hague-abduction-convention-safeguarding-survivors-tickets-1563336805469

 

August 18, 2025