‘Nothing stopping’ child abuse image spreading on WhatsApp, safety group has warned

A child protection advocacy group is calling on Meta to include stringent mechanisms to stop the increasing spread of child sexual abuse material across the messaging platform WhatsApp. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which helps in the detection and removal of child abuse content on the internet has warned Meta after a similar type of content was sent to former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards.

After this incident, Dan Sexton, the chief technology officer of IWF, said Meta is not taking any stringent measures to ensure the increasing spread of indecent imagery is stopped. He added "I'd like to ask this question: how is Meta going to prevent this from happening again? What is stopping those images being shared again on that service today, tomorrow, and the next day?”

Therefore, some campaigners are pushing for changes to the end-to-end encryption message system of WhatsApp, as it would give law enforcement agencies the ability to access these types of messages to counter and block the spread of child abuse material. Rick Jones, acting director of intelligence at the National Crime Agency also said that they are helpless in these matters as these companies “simply cannot see illegal behaviour on their own systems”.

However, a WhatsApp spokesperson defended the app’s current safety measures, suggesting that other messaging apps “don’t have the safety measures we have developed.” The company further added, “End-to-end encryption is one of the most important technologies to keep everyone safe online, including young people.