Support Will Enable Quicker Action of Offensive Web Sites to Clean up the Internet
Microsoft has made a significant contribution to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the only UK organisation that provides an Internet hotline for the public to report their exposure to child abuse images on the Web. Building on a history of support for the IWF through MSN, Microsoft's latest gesture will enable the IWF to action more efficiently the growing number of reports it receives of child abuse images online, which last year totalled nearly 20,000 and is destined to exceed that number during 2003.
Stuart Okin, Chief Security Officer at Microsoft Ltd, said: "The Internet has become a resource to the point that it is a way of life for many people. The Internet Watch Foundation provides a facility for consumers to report any potentially illegal material they find on the Web. It is on the front line in terms of escalating these reports, working with Internet Service Providers and the police to ensure that this content is removed and the perpetrators are brought to justice. As a company introducing technology to people's lives, Microsoft feels a need to show support for this organisation and the valuable work that it does to make the Web safer."
Microsoft's donation will be used to modernise the IWF's IT equipment, such that they can handle the graphically heavy workload, as reports of offensive sites rise. The IWF will also be receiving some Microsoft software to accompany this. This latest donation builds on many years of IWF support by Microsoft MSN, which also sits on the funding council of the organisation.
News source: Microsoft UK Press Centre
