Access blocking
Preventing users from accessing websites that show child sexual abuse material is an important part of the fight against this crime. By blocking access, it stops re-victimization of the children abused, and has a pedagogic effect on users who may be about to commit a serious offence by viewing or downloading illegal material.
To block access to Internet domains that disseminate child sexual abuse material, police can give Internet Service Providers a list of domains, or web addresses, to block in their networks. When users attempt to view the page, they may be redirected to a ‘stop page’ containing information on the reason for the redirection, links to legislation, where to complain, etc.
It is important to note that no criminal cases are generated as a result of anyone being redirected from a domain containing child sexual abuse material.
Access blocking should be used as part of a holistic approach to combating child sexual exploitation.
The INTERPOL ‘Worst Of’ List
We maintain and provide a list of domains that disseminate the most severe child abuse material worldwide. It is available to national police through our National Central Bureaus.
The IWOL contains domains that distribute child sexual abuse material which fit the Baseline Criteria.
Baseline
Baseline is an INTERPOL initiative intended to enable third parties to detect and disrupt the further circulation of some of the worst known child sexual abuse material that may be on their systems.
They can do this by checking images and videos against our Baseline list, which contains the ‘digital signatures’ of some of the worst child abuse images and videos.
If a signature matches, network operators alert the police and remove the material, thereby limiting its circulation.
The Baseline list is continuously updated with new CSAM file signatures, through the collaborative work of specialized officers in member countries and the INTERPOL General Secretariat.
Baseline criteria
The Baseline List is intended to be a universal list of CSAM files that would be illegal in most, if not all national jurisdictions. To be included in the Baseline list, child abuse images and videos must meet the following criteria:
- The children depicted are “real”;
- The ages of the children depicted are (or appear to be) younger than 13 years;
- The abuse is considered severe.
The above criteria must be found by two different countries/agencies and verified by the CAC Unit before a file’s digital signature is added to the Baseline list
