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In 2025, analysts confirmed 311,599 webpages containing child sexual abuse imagery, of which 15,031 (5%) were identified as commercial in nature. This represents a increase from 2024, when 7,028 webpages (2%) were commercial.
Commercial websites often host a wider range of imagery than non-commercial sites, including material involving victims of all ages and some of the most severe abuse.
Of the commercial webpages actioned, 13,481 showed evidence of indirect monetisation, such as disguised sites, sites offering premium access, or click-through links. The remaining 1,550 webpages offered a direct option to purchase abuse imagery.
In most cases, the payment details were publicly visible and/or accessible, however it may have required account creation in order to view the full payment details or instructions. In cases where details were publicly visible and/or accessible, Analysts recorded the following:
• 1,002 URLs showed 3,276 options of a virtual currency payment
• 901 URLs showed 1,600 options of a money transfer service
• 148 URLs showed 240 options of credit card services
Not all payment methods were visible in publicly accessible areas of commercial sites. In some instances they required making contact or interacting with the alleged sellers, much of which took place on end-to-end encrypted platforms.
The chart above shows the number of instances of each payment type observed across sites where payment options were visible. A single URL may include multiple payment options.
In recent years we have reported on commercial websites known as ICAP (Invitation Child Abuse Pyramid) sites.
First reported to the IWF in 2022, these sites have continued to circulate. We took action on over 10,000 ICAP reports in 2025, with 97% received from the public.
These sites generate income either by offering the direct purchase of child sexual abuse material from a structure of tiers increasing in value (i.e. content volume), or through a pyramid-style scheme where a buyer creates a unique invitation link to be shared via social media platforms. When this link is clicked, the buyer is ‘rewarded’ with more free content. This method also serves as an ‘advertisement’ for the site owner, their exposure increasing with every ‘share’. Often, these ‘invitations’ are shared within comment sections under unrelated videos, with accompanying text describing the sickening imagery accessible at the link.
These sites have evolved from simple designs to more sophisticated layouts, most recently using AI-generated videos of children on the log-in page. Sometimes an adult pornography thumbnail is displayed, but when clicked, the video shows child sexual abuse. Where we once saw just three styles of ICAP site, there are now over 20 different iterations.
Typically, a Telegram account is provided as a contact for the purchase of additional material. Recently we have seen ICAP sites offering payment using cryptocurrency, as well as purchase via gift cards.
Not all of the imagery on ICAP sites is paywalled. Some videos can be accessed immediately upon entering the site and even downloaded.
Using knowledge we have collected since first seeing these sites, analysts have compiled a set of keywords to search proactively for ICAPs. Now we can locate ICAP sites using a single keyword and two clicks of a mouse. This helps prevent the onward sharing of these abhorrent, exploitative sites and minimise the chances of internet users stumbling across them.