Update from MNHQ addressing the recent images posted on the site

[JustineMumsnet]

Hi all,
There have been a number of threads discussing what happened re the posting of CSA images on site and so I want to be absolutely clear: we would never seek to shut down reasonable criticism and we're taking on board all the feedback and will be carefully considering how we can improve our procedures and moderation to prevent this happening again.

As a temporary measure, we have suspended all image posting and will soon be implementing AI filters to flag illegal/disturbing images before they appear on the site. We’re also liaising with external specialists to see if there are any further tools we can employ to help us prevent this from happening again in the future. We reported it to the police first thing the morning after the attack and we have a follow up meeting with them tomorrow.

It's also pretty clear from what we can see behind the scenes that there is an ongoing, coordinated effort from trolls to further inflame these discussions, and cause as much disruption as possible. We are taking steps to remove bad faith actors, but we know this can be frustrating for those who just want to express your views about what happened. If you come across any posts that seem designed to stir up more conflict rather than contribute constructively, please do report them - your reports really help us to act swiftly. Many thanks for your patience while we work to sort this out.

I love that there's all this bickering, and here comes Becky to not answer the question that actually got asked 😂

I’m glad it made you laugh @kittensinthekitchen but this thread is just typical of MN these days and makes me wonder why I waste my time posting.

I'm sure you will hinny.

You're just sharing your views like everyone else. You mustn't take it all so personally.

What’s hinny?

Why mustn’t I? I feel attacked on here.

It's a term of female endearment from NE England and Scotland, so it's being used sarcastically, like "okay dear".

A hinny is the opposite of a mule. But I don’t think that’s how it was being used in this context.

@NoWordForFluffy the Night Watch threads are in the “Mumsnet Stuff” topic

Ah, thank you!

Just to clarify, there is a The Night Watch topic. I assume the watchers follow that one specifically.

@JustineMumsnet would this be relevant and any help to Mumsnet? They don't define "small" as in "small forum", "small platform", etc. but I came across another article recently (can't remember where) that talked about "small forums of under 70 million users"!

Teens face ‘crisis’ of online sexual exploitation as charity says major new Government-backed scheme will ‘put rocket boosters’ on Online Safety Act
Published: Wed 23 Apr 2025

Image Intercept is a new tool which has been made possible through funding support from the Home Office.

It is the first free to use initiative in the UK aimed at preventing the spread of known illegal content depicting the sexual abuse of children.

Small businesses, online platforms, and start-ups can now, with a simple code plug-in, block imagery using the IWF’s database of 2,883,015 individual hashes of criminal imagery which the charity has amassed.

It will help give whole swathes of the internet 24-hour protection and, crucially, will help achieve the safety aims set out under the Online Safety Act.

www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/news/teens-face-crisis-of-online-sexual-exploitation-as-charity-says-major-new-government-backed-scheme-will-put-rocket-boosters-on-online-safety-act/