In November the INHOPE network of Internet Hotlines convened a special session to celebrate its 10th Anniversary in the fight against illegal content on the Internet. INHOPE, the International Association of Internet Hotlines, was founded in 1999 under the European Commission's Safer Internet Action Plan to represent and coordinate a global network of Hotlines. INHOPE Hotlines provide the general public with a means to report anonymously suspected illegal content online – primarily child sexual abuse images.

Ruben Rodriguez, President of INHOPE and Director of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children opened the meeting saying, "the INHOPE Association has taken great strides forward in the last few years; we have grown to 36 Hotlines from 31 different countries both in Europe and around the world. We have dramatically increased our outreach to industry and to law enforcement enabling us to develop collaborative projects and initiatives which in turn have increased our ability to remove child sex abuse images from the Internet"

INHOPE is utilising its unique position representing national Hotlines around the world having developed the first global URL database to record the relevant data of websites that contain images of child sexual abuse. Data collated from the network will enable INHOPE to provide the most comprehensive figures and information on the proliferation and circulation of such illegal content.

The information provided by INHOPE and its Members will enable industry, policy makers and law enforcement to target resources in an effort to combat the distribution of this material. By collating the information supplied to our Members by the public and other sources, INHOPE is able to help its stakeholders confront future challenges. The URL database is an invaluable tool for society to report its concerns and by doing so fostering confidence amongst Internet users.

To encourage new Hotline initiatives worldwide, INHOPE, in cooperation with the EC has been working to prioritise countries where illegal material can potentially be hosted or produced and countries which are deemed to be important in the fight against illegal material online. INHOPE and its members are working to tackle the global problem of illegal content online.

A statement of support from Natasha Jackson of the GSMA summed up the atmosphere at the 10th Anniversary, "we are delighted with the support, advice and expertise that INHOPE has provided to the Mobile Alliance against Child Sexual Abuse Content since its inception. Close cooperation and partnership with INHOPE is invaluable to us as we work to extend the international reach of industry initiatives to help combat online child sexual abuse content. We look forward to continuing to work closely with INHOPE and its members, both present and future, in tacking this global problem."

Illegal activity on the Internet is a cross border problem that no one organisation can effectively tackle alone and INHOPE Hotlines have proven to be an effective first line of defence against illegal content online and in the fight against online predators.