ARAs 2024 draws to a close, SWGfL reflects on a year of impactful milestones and initiatives that have advanced the safety and protections of internet users across the UK and beyond. Our unwavering commitment to promoting online safety and tackling online harms has resulted in significant progress in several key areas, including education, helpline support, and policy influence.
Impact of the Revenge Porn Helpline
The Revenge Porn Helpline, saw unprecedented demand in 2024, with reports and cases continuing to rise. This increase underscores the ongoing need for support for victims of intimate image abuse despite the UK legislation updating in 2024 making it easier to convict perpetrators of this crime. This was further highlighted by an exclusive ITV news segment which illustrated the growing concern of sextortion cases rising and why the helpline’s support was more essential than ever.
SWGfL was also at the forefront of advocating for stronger protections against online harm, actively contributing to consultations and discussions surrounding the UK’s Online Safety Act. In 2024, SWGfL played a pivotal role in shaping new regulations focused on intimate image abuse and the safety of women and girls online through the Revenge Porn Helpline’s #NotYoursToView campaign supported by MPs and influential figures like Georgia Harrison as well as giving evidence at the Women and Equalities Committee hearings.
These contributions continue to ensure that legislation reflects the real-world experiences of those affected by online harm and continues to work towards stronger protections for those experiencing intimate image abuse.
Growth of StopNCII.org
A major milestone was reached when StopNCII.org reached it’s one millionth hash count. This achievement highlights StopNCII.org’s critical role in combating the spread of non-consensual intimate images across a global scale. The year also saw the welcome of Microsoft, RedGIFS, Playhouse, Niantic, Bitly, and Resolver as new StopNCII.org industry partners as well as the integration of Photo DNA technology. The initiative was also presented and discussed at the UN Cybercrime Convention, the Keeping Children and Young People Safe convention, the Spletno Oko conference, Insafe and the White House where it was highlighted as a leading global solution towards the problem of intimate image abuse.
Recognition and Awards
SWGfL, particularly the work of StopNCII.org has been widely recognized throughout the year. Notable highlights include:
- StopNCII.org winning Charity Project of the Year at the UK IT Industry awards.
- StopNCII.org winning a Digital Leaders award for Public Service Innovation of the Year.
- StopNCII.org winning the Tech for Good award at the Tech South West Awards.
- Sophie Mortimer (Revenge Porn Helpline Manager) won the People’s Choice Award at the Tech South West Awards.
- SWGfL was also awarded funding from the Safe Online project to research child reporting initiatives to combat online harm which will be lead to our Professionals Online Safety Helpline team.
The most notable highlight though was our very own CEO David Wright being awarded Commander of the British Empire (CBE) as part of the King’s Birthday Honours List for 2024. Awarded for services to the safety of children and young people, David’s work in the field of online safety has led towards pioneering and groundbreaking efforts to protect individuals online with innovative services, tools, helplines and initiatives to improve legislation and protections across the UK that also covers a global scale.
Launch of ProjectEVOLVE EDU
One of the year’s most notable highlights was the launch of ProjectEVOLVE EDU, an initiative designed to empower professionals with digital literacy understanding and awareness. This project introduced a suite of learning materials aimed at equipping professionals with the knowledge to educate their students around essential digital literacy skills.
This was further celebrated with an online event celebrating five years of ProjectEVOLVE where professionals from all over the UK joined us for insights and updates on online safety awareness within the education sector.
New Online Safety Resources
Throughout 2024, SWGfL’s library of free online safety resources grew as we updated our suite of Social Media Checklists by including X and updating Instagram and Facebook for 2024. A new version of So You Got Naked Online was also released in November and we published a brand new Synthetic Media hub to provide guidance around the emerging concern of Deepfakes and AI generated content.
2024 has also been a year of ensuring new online threats are addressed in our established services. SWGfL included the use of Artificial Intelligence in updates towards the 360 Degree Safe tool and is currently working towards including materials in our ProjectEVOLVE toolkit. The UK Safer Internet Centre continues to offer its accreditation scheme for filtering systems and works closely with the DfE to develop it’s filtering and monitoring standards for the year.
Resources have also been released to improve understanding of our products. The Whisper Anonymous Reporting tool is being used by hundreds of schools across the UK and internationally, and this year we released updated Knowledgebase guidance as well as demo videos to ensure that schools can effectively use the tool.
Research and Data
SWGfL has continued to release annual reports to highlight the current state of online safety and response towards online harm. To snapshot some of our latest figures, ProjectEVOLVE is now being used by over 28,000 organisations and over 77,000 individuals. As part of the year we have published the following reports:
- Revenge Porn Helpline Annual Report
- Report Harmful Content Annual Report
- Professionals Online Safety Helpline Annual Report
- Evaluation of the ProjectEVOLVE Database
- Online Safety Policy and Practice Report
- Online Safety Index – How Well Do Schools in England Protect Children Online
- Remote Realities: Exploring Online Harm and Abuse in the Context of Rural Scottish Women
Looking Forward to 2025
As we look to 2025, SWGfL remains committed to innovating and adapting towards the ever-evolving digital landscape. Planned initiatives include:
- Releasing Test Filtering +, an online tool to continuously check your school’s filtering.
- Launching ProjectEVOLVE Safeguarding, an online platform to support professionals with their safeguarding responsibilities.
- Continuing to work closely with Government to ensure legislation is strengthened and the Online Safety Act is delivered with improved protections.
2024 has been an important year in the world of online safety and SWGfL has strived to bring meaningful change to the forefront of public attention. We will continue to bring new initiatives and developments across 2025 and continue to ensure that everyone can benefit from technology free from harm.
