Tata Comm joins Internet Watch Foundation

New Delhi: Tata Communications on Wednesday said it has become a member of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) that will allow it to protect its customers from online child sexual abuse material.

Tata Communications is the first internet service provider (ISP) in India to become a member of the IWF, it said in a statement.

"With this collaboration, Tata Communications is leading the way towards a safer internet by protecting citizens from online child sexual abuse material," it added.

As a part of IWF, Tata Communications will now be using the URL List service that provides a list of webpages containing child sexual abuse imagery.

"By using the URL List and removing its customers' ability to access these webpages, Tata Communications will provide its customers with the most up-to-date way to protect their networks from child sexual abuse imagery online," it said.

The company said over 28 per cent of the world's internet routes travel over Tata Communications' network, making it the fifth largest global internet backbone service provider.

"In line with our strong corporate values and ethos of integrity, we have adopted and implemented the IWF resources to block child sexual abuse material from the internet," Tata Communications General Counsel ? India and Company Secretary Manish Sansi said.

Susie Hargreaves OBE, CEO of IWF, said the partnership will help towards achieving a safer internet "by disrupting the hosting and distribution of child sexual abuse material online".

In April this year, the Indian government had directed Internet service providers (ISP) to block distribution and transmission of child sexual abuse content by July 31.

IWF has more than 130 companies as its members, including the likes of Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Cisco, Vodafone and Apple.