The Internet Watch Foundation in Cambridge, UK, held expert training on disguised websites for eight INHOPE colleagues last month.


Analysts from the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Ireland and Poland attended the two-day course which aimed to help them recognise and unlock the different types of disguised websites which host hidden child sexual abuse content.
The pioneering course delved into the methods offenders use to prevent detection online, explored how to use open-source intelligence to find pathways to hidden CSAM and gave trainees the opportunity to test out the key tools that can be used to reveal criminal content.

Feedback from trainees on the course was positive, with many saying that their expectations were exceeded. All participants said they felt more confident at recognising and actioning disguised sites because of the training, with one of them saying that the course uncovered a superpower for him! Tamsin McNally, IWF Hotline Manager said: “We were really pleased to be able to host this vital training and share the expertise that we have been developing since disguised sites were first identified several years ago.

“Criminals continue to find new ways to distribute CSAM and to profit from the exploitation of children, and hopefully by pooling our knowledge in this area we can strengthen our ability to take down these websites, anywhere in the world, as swiftly as possible. “We also appreciated the opportunity to build relationships with INHOPE colleagues and hope to run more training courses in future.”