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'Nothing stopping' child abuse image sharing on WhatsApp, group warns

The Internet Watch Foundation is calling for more mechanisms to be put in place to protect children.

"We know people, including journalists, activists and politicians, don’t want us reading their private messages so we have developed robust safety measures to prevent, detect and combat abuse while maintaining online security." Rick Jones, acting director of intelligence at the National Crime Agency, said: "Technology is available to identify these images, but most companies are choosing to design their platforms in a way that does not allow it to be used either at all, or to its full effectiveness." Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said that social media firms "must act and implement robust detection measures" so that their platforms are not "safe spaces for criminals".

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