Internet Watch Foundation
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is an independent UK body that acts as a hotline for illegal content on the internet. This includes reports of so-called child pornography and "race hate" incitement speech that the British state have outlawed. Typically, this organization achieves its aims by pressuring its founder ISPs into enforcing bans on what it deems to be undesirable content.
Whilst the IWF is technically a body of the ISP industry, it was created in response to restrictive laws implemented by the UK Government. Considering the IWF's links and previous EU funding, it is reasonable to interpret the content it filters as a barometer of state pressure.
Censorship
The IWF is in effect a censor. A number of recent examples demonstrate that this goes well beyond illegal content and encroaches upon mainstream resources.
In 2024, Susie Hargreaves of the IWF was criticized for using stigmatizing language towards MAPs, after condemning AI-generated content and the role it plays in MAPs' fantasies.[1][2]
See also
- The Virgin Killer controversies - Censorship of an album cover involving a naked girl led to an effective ban on editing Wikipedia.
- Web Archive - The "wayback machine" - a highly popular archive of 13 years of web history was censored by the IWF.