DoubleVerify Partners with Internet Watch Foundation to Fight Online Child Sexual Abuse Material and Enhance Ad Safety

New partnership gives DV access to IWF’s powerful tools and data to help block ads from appearing near illegal and exploitative content

DoubleVerify (DV), a leader in digital media measurement and analytics, has announced a strategic partnership with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to combat the online spread and monetization of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). This collaboration strengthens DV’s mission to keep digital advertising safe, ethical, and free from illegal content.

The IWF is a global nonprofit organization that works to detect, report, and remove CSAM from the internet. Through this new partnership, DoubleVerify will integrate IWF’s trusted datasets and URL index into its advertising safety tools. This will allow DV to more accurately identify and block content associated with CSAM before ads are placed.

“DoubleVerify is helping lead the way in how the advertising industry can stop the funding of child sexual abuse material,” said Derek Ray-Hill, CEO of the Internet Watch Foundation. “Together, we’re making digital spaces safer for everyone—especially children.”

“Illegal content online is a constantly evolving threat,” added Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify. “Our partnership with IWF is a major step toward ensuring that ads don’t appear on or support harmful and illegal content.”

Key Initiatives and Enhancements by DV

DoubleVerify has already rolled out several initiatives to prevent the monetization of CSAM and other illegal content. These include:

New “P2P Sharing and Streaming” Avoidance Category

Blocks ads from appearing on peer-to-peer sharing or streaming platforms often used to distribute illegal content.

Includes both pre-bid and post-bid protections for web and mobile app environments.

Enabled by default for advertisers using DV.

“Highly Illicit: Do Not Monetize” Content Category

Flags and blocks domains identified by trusted third-party sources (like NCMEC) as potentially hosting CSAM or other high-risk content.

Available at no cost to any platform—whether or not they are DV clients.

Already implemented by nearly 30 ad platforms and continuously updated through industry collaboration.

Strengthening Protections Through IWF Partnership

With this new partnership, DV will begin using the IWF’s comprehensive list of known CSAM-hosting URLs to improve the accuracy and reach of its “Do Not Monetize” content category.

In 2024, the IWF saw the highest number of webpages containing CSAM in its 29-year history, highlighting the growing urgency of the issue.

DV will also contribute by flagging potentially harmful content it detects but that may not yet be on the IWF list. These reports can then be verified and passed to law enforcement or other international partners for swift takedown.

Looking Ahead: A Safer Digital Ad Ecosystem

DoubleVerify is committed to proactively protecting advertisers, platforms, and internet users from exposure to illegal and harmful content. The company is also working with top third-party technology providers to automate the detection of suspected CSAM as part of its AI-driven content classification process.

This collaboration with the IWF builds on DV’s broader mission to promote brand safety, transparency, and social responsibility in the ad tech ecosystem.