INHOPE - Association of Internet Hotline Providers | Our Story

Fighting CSAM
since 1999.

Our Mission

Our mission is to support and enable INHOPE hotlines in the rapid identification and removal of Child Sexual Abuse Material from the digital world.

In a borderless digital world CSAM has global consequences and as CSAM increases so do our efforts and those of our partners to combat it.

Our Vision

INHOPE’s vision is a digital world free of Child Sexual Abuse Material.

Does your organisation align with INHOPE’s vision? If yes, then learn more about our partnerships.

Our Network

INHOPE is made up of hotlines around the world that operate in all EU member states, Russia, South Africa, North & South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. We support hotlines and their partner organisations through training, best practices, quality assurance and staff welfare.
Our Story

The Issue

INHOPE focuses on responding to criminally illegal content and activity. There are a wide range of illegal activities which occur on the Internet and these are divided into two different types: criminally illegal activity which is investigated and prosecuted by Law Enforcement Agencies and civil illegal activity which can be prosecuted by a wide range of civilian bodies.

Understand what we do:



Run for its Members by its Members!

INHOPE is a members' organisation, run for its members by its members. INHOPE's Board is made up of representatives of INHOPE Association members and are elected by the democratic vote of the members of the INHOPE Association. Each Board Member is registered with the KvK Amsterdam. Each Board member has a term of 2 years and the electoral process is set out in the INHOPE Articles of Association (English translation). Note: only the text of the Dutch notarial deed executed in the Dutch language prevails. Member hotlines have to comply with a Code of Practice.

Members vote to elect a President who leads an elected Executive Committee, also known as the Board which is led by a President and is normally assisted by the Vice-President and the Treasurer, with the remaining Board members holding the title ‘Board member without portfolio’.


Remuneration
The INHOPE organisation is run by a paid professional staff, known as the Secretariat and it is led by the Executive Director who is appointed by the INHOPE Board. INHOPE pays its staff in line with the general Netherlands market salary levels for each role and this is overseen by the Finance & Audit Committee of the INHOPE Board.
The Board
Sean Lyons

Sean Lyons

INHOPE President (interim)

Sean Lyons (Netsafe, New Zealand) is the Director of Technology & Partnerships at Netsafe, New Zealand’s principle online safety agency. He currently leads Netsafe’s work on child sexual abuse online.
Seila Samleang

Seila Samleang

INHOPE Board Member

Seila Samleang, Executive Director of APLE, is a go-to expert in child protection and online safety. As a certified content analyst within INHOPE, he also serves as a core trainer for national programs. With a Master’s degree in law, Seila is a key member of the National Child Protection Committee. Additionally, he plays a vital role in government policy development and facilitates international collaboration among law enforcement agencies to combat transnational cases of child sexual exploitation.
Paraskevi (Vivi) Fragopoulou

Paraskevi (Vivi) Fragopoulou

INHOPE Treasurer

Paraskevi (Vivi) Fragopoulou is the founder and leader of the Greek Hotline SafeLine operating since 2003, and the Greek Safer Internet Center SaferInternet4Kids. She is a Professor of Computer Science at the Hellenic Mediterranean University and an associate researcher at the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas.
Carolina Piñeros

Carolina Piñeros

INHOPE Board Member

Industrial Engineer graduated with an advanced degree in Personal and Family Development (Colombia). Carolina cofounded Red PaPaz, a network of more than 500 schools and 650.000 parents in Colombia. In 2016, Te Protejo joined the INHOPE Network. Under Carolina’s leadership, Red PaPaz has led several advocacy initiatives to make changes in public policies related to the protection of children´s rights in Colombia.
Mashilo Boloka

Mashilo Boloka

INHOPE Board Member

Mashilo holds a Doctorate in Philosophy, Communication and Media Studies and has extensive experience in policy development, corporate governance and business analysis. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the South African member hotline operated by the Film and Publication Board.
What do you need to know?

Establish a hotline

The starting point for any initiative seeking to establish a hotline will be to understand the particulars of the national context in which the hotline will be developed. Before deciding whether it will be feasible and possible to set up an Internet hotline, it is crucial to understand what an ‘hotline’ is, and what it is not.

Find out more using our hotline development guide.

Meet the Team