[London, June 12] In a decisive move to kerb the financing of child sexual abuse through digital currencies, blockchain analytics firm Elliptic has joined forces with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). The partnership is designed to reinforce efforts in identifying and preventing the use of cryptocurrencies to fund and profit from the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.
Elliptic, a global leader in blockchain intelligence and digital asset compliance, will now have access to the IWF’s specialised database of cryptocurrency payment addresses tied to websites selling CSAM. This critical data integration will enhance Elliptic’s ability to detect, trace, and prevent illicit transactions linked to these criminal networks.
“At Elliptic, our goal is to make the crypto industry a safe environment,” said Giuseppe Fersini, Head of Intel at Elliptic. “That includes stopping actors from using the system to send or receive profits from child sexual abuse online. Partnering with the IWF helps us protect the most vulnerable.”
Data-Driven Disruption of Criminal Networks
The collaboration is rooted in data and its potential to disrupt the financial infrastructure that enables the spread of online abuse. The IWF, one of the world’s leading organisations fighting online child sexual abuse, collects cryptocurrency payment details from websites profiting from the sale of such content. These addresses are distributed through virtual currency alerts sent directly to its members.
By becoming a member of the IWF, Elliptic gains direct access to these insights, allowing it to feed this intelligence into its blockchain monitoring and risk management systems. This, in turn, helps Elliptic’s clients spanning crypto exchanges, financial institutions, and law enforcement agencies identify suspect wallets and prevent further exploitation.
Derek Ray-Hill, Interim CEO of the IWF, emphasised the value of this collaboration: “IWF analysts find images and videos of some of the worst types of child sexual abuse on websites that profit from the sale of this horrific content. By working with us, Elliptic can help to disrupt the spread of this criminal imagery and stop this type of illegal purchasing in its tracks.”
Safeguarding the Digital Economy
Cryptocurrencies offer significant potential for innovation and inclusion, but their pseudonymous nature can also make them attractive for illicit uses. One of the most disturbing is their use to facilitate payments for criminal content, including CSAM. Elliptic’s blockchain forensics platform has long been used to trace these transactions. This new layer of threat intelligence from the IWF enhances the company’s ability to preempt such activity at the source.
“We capture and share payment information displayed on these commercial websites through virtual currency alerts,” said Ray-Hill. “This helps to prevent the misuse of services and enables the identification of payment networks being used globally to sell child sexual abuse imagery, boosting our fight to end child sexual abuse material online.”
By integrating this information into its system, Elliptic provides a crucial line of defence not only to its clients, but also to regulators and law enforcement authorities worldwide. This collaboration represents more than just technological integration; it is a direct investment in protecting vulnerable individuals and safeguarding the broader crypto economy from criminal exploitation.
A Broader Impact in the Fight Against Exploitation
The partnership between Elliptic and the IWF is a powerful example of how public-interest organisations and private-sector innovators can combine forces to combat global threats. While Elliptic brings blockchain analytics and detection tools, the IWF contributes its deep domain expertise in identifying online child abuse networks.
Together, their collaboration represents “a multiplier effect in the global fight against child exploitation,” the partners said, noting how this joint effort empowers enforcement agencies, platforms, and financial institutions alike.
By building intelligence into the infrastructure of the digital economy, the initiative creates a safer environment one where criminals find it increasingly difficult to operate, and victims of abuse are better protected from systemic exploitation.
In a fast-evolving digital landscape, the Elliptic-IWF alliance offers a rare and vital line of resistance against one of the most heinous abuses of technology ensuring that innovation is harnessed for protection, not profit at any cost.
