Our Impact

WIPO ACE Cinema

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the United Nations agency that ensures ideas (intellectual property) belonging to creators, innovators and entrepreneurs are protected and can travel safely across borders to market.

WIPO’s Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE) held its 17th session in Geneva from 4-6 February bringing together representatives from WIPO Member States, observers, academia and the private sector to exchange experiences on IP enforcement and building respect for IP.

The event also saw the fourth edition of the ACE Cinema that showcases short anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy awareness-raising videos including, this year, Crime Stoppers International’s Stop The Illegal Empire.

RMIT Industry Advisory Board

The expertise of Crime Stoppers International’s key personnel continues to be recognized with our Deputy CEO, Hayley van Loon, joining the RMIT University Industry Advisory Board for Cyber (IABC).

The IABC is RMIT Australia’s leading body of industry experts in the cyber sector, and its members are dynamic business and technology executives/cyber professionals at the cutting edge of their profession. It provides objective ‘outside-in’ thinking and contributes first-hand knowledge and diverse perspectives on key industry priorities and challenges specific to Cyber Innovation and Cyber Security Research (CICSR).

Tackling the Rising Threat of Sextortion

Hayley has already contributed to an important forum hosted by RMIT University’s Social Equity Research Centre within the CCSRI that brought experts, researchers, and stakeholders together to discuss the growing threat of sextortion.

One of the most heartbreaking moments during the Detecting, Preventing and Responding to Extortion workshop was hearing from a father whose son had tragically taken his own life after falling victim to sextortion. Wayne Holdsworth’s powerful words about his son, Mac, served as a devastating reminder of the real-world impact of this crime.

While the forum was attended by a diverse group of individuals and organizations, each bringing unique insights and expertise, everyone was united about the urgent need to do more to combat this horrific crime and especially the need to do more to protect children and young people.

Collaboration between law enforcement, cyber experts, policymakers, and civil society is crucial to detecting, preventing, and responding effectively to sextortion. CSI remains committed to working with partners to raise awareness, strengthen protections, and support those affected by these crimes.

To play an active role in protecting communities from this devastating form of exploitation, contact us.

Q1 2025 Newsletter

Our first edition of our quarterly newsletter for 2025 provides an overview of our activities, achievements and milestones for the last 12 months, and is available to download.

Human Trafficking Prevention Month

January marks Human Trafficking Prevention Month – a time to raise awareness about human trafficking and modern slavery. A time to learn how to identify the signs of trafficking and to support victims. A time to encourage everyone – individuals, organizations, and governments – to take action to prevent and combat human trafficking.

This year's theme, Connecting the Dots. Strengthening Communities. Preventing Trafficking, recognizes the connections that exist between human trafficking and other forms of violence and abuse. This is something Crime Stoppers International has long highlighted along with the fact that human trafficking/modern-day slavery is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises in the world and almost always linked to organized crime.

With more than 50 million persons enslaved worldwide, 1 in 4 of whom is a child, a much greater sense of urgency is needed to bring a stop to this exploitation.

What can you do?  Educate yourself about human trafficking here and share what you learn with others.

What can your organization do? Connect with us and support our efforts to tackle this heinous crime.

And if you’ve heard something and seen something that indicates human trafficking is taking place, Report Now.

Anti-Human Trafficking Advocate Recognized

On 17 January, Crime Stoppers International Specialist Advisor, Timea Nagy-Payne, received the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of her outstanding contribution to addressing human trafficking and associated trauma.

This distinction is awarded to Canadians who have demonstrated dedication and commitment to making a significant impact on the wellbeing of Canadian communities and, in Timea’s case, also internationally.

“ .. a dedicated Canadian activist and abolitionist, Mrs Timea Nagy founded Walk With Me Canada Victim Services in 2009 to support human trafficking survivors. Her tireless advocacy, collaborations with law enforcement, and public awareness campaigns have earned her numerous accolades. As a global advocate, author, and survivor, she has raised awareness for human trafficking and trauma for 15 years and is now focused on sharing science-based healing methods worldwide.”

Congratulations, Timea. This prestigious accolade is well-deserved and Crime Stoppers International is incredibly privileged to have you as a member of our Specialist Advisory Panel.

Call for mandatory device-based age verification

Crime Stoppers International and the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) have both published position papers calling on governments to mandate device-based age verification and the default activation of parental controls on all internet-enabled devices to combat online child abuse and exploitation.

While the internet is an essential aspect of daily life today, it also brings substantial risks. According to a recent UNICEF report, more than one third of young people in 30 countries report being cyber-bullied. Sexually explicit content, violent and hateful material, highly explicit language, cyber-bullying, and online predators are prevalent and alarmingly accessible to children.

Our position paper, Protecting Children Online: Mandatory Device-Based Age Verification and Parental Controls, strongly advocates for the immediate adoption of device-based age verification. ICMEC’s Model Bill for Protecting Children Online provides the building blocks of legislation to this end that can be adapted to any legislative context. Both publications outline the key issues associated with online child safety, including the consequences of unrestricted access, and the adoption of age verification instead of app-by-app and website-by-website verification as a protective measure. Both also acknowledge the important work underway by policymakers globally and legislative changes under consideration in many countries to strengthen the online protection of children.

Deputy CEO of Crime Stoppers International Hayley van Loon noted, “Over 400 million websites operate without safety mechanisms to manage harmful content such as child sexual abuse material. Device-based age verification can leverage biometric authentication and secure hardware already embedded in cell phones, laptops, tablets, gaming consoles, and other devices to provide a high level of accuracy that surpasses traditional methods like self-reported birthdates, which are highly susceptible to misrepresentation and circumvention”.

“As a non-partisan, global nonprofit committed to advancing child protection and safeguarding vulnerable children around the world, ICMEC calls on governments, regulators, policymakers, legislators and technology companies to work together to establish clear guidelines and global standards for device-based age verification” stated Travis Heneveld, Interim CEO at ICMEC.

New Partnership – CI-ISAC International

We’re excited to announce the signing of a global partnership agreement with Critical Infrastructure-Information Sharing & Analysis Centre, International (CI-ISAC International).

Headquartered in The Hague Security Delta, CI-ISAC International and Crime Stoppers International share a common vision of fostering secure and more resilient communities through collaboration, trust, and the proactive sharing of vital information to generate useful intelligence.

Both organizations recognize the vital role of empowering individuals and industries at a whole-of-nation level to contribute to collective security — whether by building trusted cyber communities to protect critical digital infrastructure or by providing safe, anonymous channels that enhance physical security and crime reporting – and we share a commitment to leveraging tools, partnerships, and community-driven solutions to anticipate, mitigate, and respond to threats that span the cyber-physical domain.

We look forward to our two organizations contributing to practical outcomes that enhance all countries’ capacities to defend their citizens and societies from cyber-physical threats – ensuring a safer and more secure world for all.

UN Women 16 Days of Action against Gender-Based Violence

Every 10 minutes in 2023, partners and family members intentionally killed a woman or a girl.

UN Women focuses on areas that are fundamental to women’s equality worldwide, with ending violence against women and girls being an absolute priority.

Members of the Crime Stoppers International team and some of our valued associates were only too happy to commit to this year’s UN Women 16 Days of Action fundraising initiative to drive change and make tangible strides towards a world where women and girls are Safe. Everywhere. Always.

Congratulations to our team and their supporters, whose efforts and generosity saw them place in the Top 20 of fundraisers for the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. Well done!

Tackling Wildlife Crime

Our CEO Shane Britten recently spent a week in South Africa representing Crime Stoppers International at the United for Wildlife (UfW) Global Summit in Capetown, and then the annual meeting of the INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group, followed by a visit to Kruger National Park to meet with its dedicated rangers and learn of their efforts and challenges when to comes to combating wildlife crime.

Tackling transnational wildlife crime has always been a key area of focus for Crime Stoppers International. We were one of the original signatories to the Buckingham Palace Declaration – a landmark agreement committing to take real steps to shut down routes exploited by traffickers of illegal wildlife trade – and we are currently well-advanced on a major project with TRAFFIC to strengthen the interception of illegal wildlife trade at key airports in Latin America.

Latest Specialist Advisor Appointments

The ability to draw on exceptional advice and expertise is critical for any organization and, as a not-for-profit charity led by a volunteer Board of Directors and management team, it is all-important to Crime Stoppers International to be able to do so. We feel incredibly privileged, therefore, to announce the following most recent appointments to our Specialist Advisory Panel:

• Laure CHEMLA – Senior Brand Protection Counsel and passionate protector of IP: Switzerland

• Prof Rohan GUNARATNA – acclaimed author, founder of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, and Professor of security, defence and strategic studies: Singapore

• Kevin HYLAND OBE – Chair of the G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20) and former UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner: Ireland

• Curtis POWELL – accomplished business strategist and former White House security executive with a distinguished military career: USA

• Luke RAVEN – expert financial consultant specializing in AML/CTF compliance, sanctions, fraud prevention, anti-bribery and corruption: Australia

Learn more about each appointee here

World Economic Forum Cybercrime Report

Crime Stoppers International was pleased to join the community of experts who contributed to the development of the World Economic Forum’s Partnership against Cybercrime white paper and the shaping of its recommendations.

The paper provides a framework to support operational collaborations worldwide with the objective of accelerating the rate of disruption at-scale, it explores how to build on the success of existing lead partnerships, and it notes common traits of effective partnerships as well as hurdles encountered.

In recognizing that collaborations between industry experts and the public sector are disrupting cybercriminals, three main pillars of collaboration are identified: incentives for organizations to collaborate, elements of a good governance structure, and resources required to set up, maintain and accelerate partnerships.

To learn more, download a full copy of the white paper here

Bsides, Melbourne

CSI Deputy CEO, Hayley Van Loon, recently delivered the keynote address at this year’s BSides Melbourne – the global phenomenon that began in 2011 and has since delivered 1070 intense community-driven events for information security professionals “where conversations for the next-big-thing” are happening through discussions, demos and participant interaction, hosted in 255 cities spanning 65 countries.

An acknowledged global security leader, Hayley discussed, The Human Cost Behind Digital Threats, and how criminal networks use digital platforms to recruit, exploit, and harm individuals and why a focus on effective responses is critical.

Specialist Advisory Panel – inaugural appointments

Ensuring access to high-quality advice and expertise enhances any organization’s likelihood of success, so Crime Stoppers International is delighted to announce the following inaugural appointments to its specialist Advisory Panel:

• Mr Bob Cunningham, Head of Policy and immediate past CEO, ICMEC – USA

• The Hon Mitch Fifield, former Senator, Cabinet Minister, and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the UN, including a term as Vice President of the UN General Assembly – Australia

• Mr David Higgins, former Head of Environment Security, INTERPOL – Australia; and

• Ms Timea Nagy-Payne, award-winning human rights activist and survivor of human trafficking – Canada

Learn more here

International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children and Crime Stoppers International join forces

Recognizing we share common aims and objectives when it comes to raising awareness for and addressing transnational criminal activity related to child exploitation and victimization, the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) and Crime Stoppers International have established a formal partnership.

In addition to both organizations agreeing to explore opportunities to deliver innovative campaigns and projects, Crime Stoppers International is pleased to provide expanded accessibility to ICMEC’s excellent resources on how to prevent and respond to child abuse, neglect and sexual exploitation via CSI Learning – our eLearning resource center.

National Missing Persons Hackathon 2024 – Australia

In the spirit of supporting the vital work of law enforcement, Crime Stoppers International personnel and associates volunteered their time and joined some 650 participants in Australia’s National Missing Persons Hackathon.

With cases provided by the Australian Federal Police and the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre, the one day, six-hour event took place at seven in-person locations around Australia. The ethical hackathon sought to generate open source intelligence (OSINT) leads for five long-term missing persons cases and was preceded by OSINT training and several webinars for participants.

“By involving the community, and in this case hackers, into the search for missing persons, we hope to solve more long-term missing person cases in a way that police could not do alone." Assistant Commissioner Debbie Platz, Australian Federal Police.

Australian OSINT Symposium 2024

Crime Stoppers International was extremely grateful to be invited by OSINT Combine to participate on the OSINT For Good panel, From Good to Great: OSINT for a Better World, alongside representatives from Lantern Rescue Foundation, Skulls Games and National Missing Persons Hackathon. Billed as “the only event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, offering a unique platform for collaboration and learning within the OSINT ecosystem”, the symposium was held in Sydney in early September.

The forum’s theme, OSINT Tailwinds, focused on exploring current advancements driving OSINT forward; showcasing real-world examples of cutting-edge OSINT in action; identifying untapped OSINT opportunities to help make the word a safer place; and, confronting the challenges that lie ahead ... together!

We were capably represented by our Deputy CEO Hayley Van Loon, who spoke of how harnessing OSINT capabilities to better serve and protect our communities continues to be at the forefront of Crime Stoppers International’s ever-evolving capabilities. OSINT for Good can empower communities and aid law enforcement through the use of publicly accessible data to fight crime, while ensuring transparency and accountability. It’s all about enhancing public safety, supporting justice, and building trust.

Congratulations are in order!

In front of nearly 400 practitioners and peers at the AIPIO Intelligence 2024 conference, our very own Hayley van Loon received the inaugural David Irvine AO Award, which “honors an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the intelligence profession in Australia”.

Named in honor of David Irvine AO FAIIA, a towering figure in Australia’s intelligence and national security communities, the award recognizes Hayley’s vision for collaboration and her relentless drive to push new technologies to combat crime on a global scale that have been transformative. Her commitment to fighting gender-based violence, and enhancing digital safety for children and vulnerable individuals underscores her dedication to making a meaningful impact.

Congratulations, Hayley, on this very well-deserved accolade – we’re so very fortunate to have you on the team!

WEF Global Coalition for Digital Safety

We are proud to share that our Deputy CEO, Hayley van Loon, is a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Coalition for Digital Safety. Immediately following the recent TrustCon event, coalition members convened for an in-person meeting at Meta in San Francisco to address the critical issue of online harms.

These gatherings consistently underscore the importance of global collaboration over exclusion or competition in our efforts to protect children and vulnerable individuals online.

Crime Stoppers International is wholly committed to our mission in this space and is grateful for the continued support of our incredible partners, both new and long-standing. We look forward to making a genuine contribution in this vital area, as we all work hard to evolve and adapt to the challenges of our time.

Learn more here

TrustCon 2024

Crime Stoppers International CEO Shane Britten and Deputy CEO Hayley van Loon joined more than 1300 delegates at the third annual TrustCon conference in San Francisco – a global event dedicated to trust and safety professionals with responsibility for the challenging work of keeping platforms and communities safe – to explore opportunities to collaborate, to hear from trust and safety thought leaders, and to connect with peers from all over the world.

Shane was a member of the panel discussion, Practices of Adult Content Platforms, that examined the commonalities and unique challenges of moderating sexually explicit content on adult entertainment platforms. The session shed light on the complex nature of this specialized field, shared real-world experiences, and highlighted policies and approaches that anyone handling adult content can use to keep users safe while respecting their personal expression.

East Asia: Financial Scams Assessment

As a founding member of the Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime (GCFFC), Crime Stoppers International is proud to support the publication of the “Financial Scams Report: An Assessment of Scams in East Asia.” This pivotal report, stemming from the 30 May APAC Meeting hosted at INTERPOL in Singapore, examines the prevalence and impact of financial scams in Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

For more details, please visit GCFFC and read the full report here.

WEF Global Coalition for Digital Safety

Crime Stoppers International is proud to announce its membership in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Coalition for Digital Safety. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in enhancing global efforts to combat digital threats and promote safer online environments.

As digitalization accelerates across the globe, the need for robust digital safety measures has never been more critical. Cybercrime, online harassment, misinformation, and other digital threats pose serious risks to individuals, businesses, and societies at large. Recognizing these challenges, the WEF established the Global Coalition for Digital Safety to foster collaboration among key stakeholders and drive forward innovative solutions.

Through its participation in the Coalition, Crime Stoppers International will leverage its extensive network and expertise in crime prevention to address the complex landscape of digital threats. The collaboration between Crime Stoppers International and the WEF underscores the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach to digital safety. By bringing together diverse perspectives and resources, the coalition aims to create a comprehensive framework that addresses digital threats and promotes a secure and trustworthy digital ecosystem.

Keynote – MENA Financial Crime Compliance Group

Crime Stoppers International was privileged to be invited to provide the keynote speech at the face-to-face meeting of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Crime Compliance Group (MENA FCCG) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This was a great opportunity to meet with compliance and counter money laundering experts of banks and financial services industry members throughout the region to talk about the role of Crime Stoppers International, how anonymous reporting inside businesses and from a country’s citizens can play a pivotal role in secure and effective operations, and our insights into money laundering, terrorism financing, fraud and scams.

The group was particularly interested in our Illegal Empire campaign - www.stoptheillegalempire.com

A special shout-out to Arab Bank for the invitation!

Combatting CSAM and online harm

In its concerted efforts to combat the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), tackle human trafficking, confront revenge porn, and mitigate various online harms, Crime Stoppers International has agreed to review the Trust and Safety framework, policies, procedures, and practices of Aylo (formerly MindGeek), the company behind some of the world’s biggest online adult entertainment sites.

The project being undertaken aims to assess Aylo's capacity to enhance platform safety, with a specific focus on important contemporary issues such as non-consensual image and video sharing, age verification, CSAM, revenge porn, and deepfakes. The overarching goal is to mitigate and prevent online harm, thus fostering safer communities, which directly aligns with our organization’s core mission and received the unanimous support of its Board.

When faced with the stark realities of online harms, the need for change is undeniable. We feel compelled to bravely explore new methods to shield the vulnerable, especially children. Through collaborative efforts with diverse stakeholders, Crime Stoppers International is pioneering innovative strategies to protect those most at risk of exploitation. We are fortunate that other esteemed global organizations also recognize the importance of working with companies such as Ethical Capital Partners/Aylo.

Adapting to the evolving landscape is essential. Overlooking opportunities for collaboration, even within industries like adult entertainment that are actively pursuing safety improvements, means missing out on a chance for positive transformation. We hold firm in our belief that this collaboration has the power to substantially diminish the toll of online harm and ongoing victimization.

Crime Stoppers International’s dedication to transparency is unwavering. Once our review of Aylo’s Trust and Safety processes is complete, we will publicly publish our findings and recommendations. Our organization remains resolute in its objective: to create a safer digital environment and protect the most vulnerable members of society from harm.

Likewise, we are steadfast in our dedication to work with law enforcement, NGOs, private companies, and communities to make the world safer.

Mitigating harm against vulnerable persons and minors online

Crime Stoppers International (CSI) has committed to working with Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), the proprietors of adult content platforms provider Aylo, to form an unconventional but highly impactful collaboration.

Following in the footsteps of the Internet Watch Foundation and it’s groundbreaking partnering with Mindgeek (now Aylo), CSI’s strategic relationship seeks to reduce harm and combat online crime, beginning with a thorough review of Aylo's trust and safety processes to evaluate their effectiveness and identify additional measures to further minimize harm online.

Our collaboration also has the capacity to adapt technology, originally intended for the adult entertainment industry, to identify and eradicate harmful and illicit content online. This has the potential to bolster law enforcement initiatives worldwide against transnational crime, not only in the fight against child sexual abuse material and online exploitation, but also terrorism, smuggling, cybercrime, and human trafficking.

CSI recognizes the production of online content within the adult entertainment industry is inevitable, and chooses collaboration over exclusion. The CSI Board was unanimous in working with Aylo and ECP, and about embracing the opportunity to drive positive change to reduce online harm, achieve greater protection for children and minors, and enhance law enforcement capability in this space.

CSI President awarded top Australian honor

Crime Stoppers International President, Ms Sharon Hanlon, has been honored with an AM (Member of the Order of Australia) in the 2024 Australia Day honors list.

The Order of Australia is the pre-eminent means by which Australia recognizes outstanding and meritorious service by its citizens with Ms Hanlon AM recognized for her significant service to community in leadership roles across a range of organizations – including more than 12 years’ service with Crime Stoppers at international, national, and local levels.

Ms Hanlon AM was nominated to the Board of Crime Stoppers International in mid-2016 by Crime Stoppers Australia.

In late 2018 in The Hague, Netherlands, Ms Hanlon AM was elected President of Crime Stoppers International – the first woman to be appointed to the position in the organization’s 40-plus year history – and it is a role she contains to hold.

She continues to serve as a Director of Crime Stoppers Australia and during her tenure served as Company Secretary and Deputy Chair for a total of seven years. Ms Hanlon AM is also the Chair of Crime Stoppers South Australia, a role she has held since 2013 after first joining that Board in 2011.

On learning of her award, Ms Hanlon AM said “I’m incredibly honored to be awarded an Order of Australia.”

“My involvement with Crime Stoppers International sees me work alongside highly committed individuals and organizations dedicated to making the world a safer place.”

“I am immensely proud of the organization’s Board of Directors and management team and everyone’s individual and collective contributions to strategic planning, improvement of business operations, and strengthening of corporate governance.”

“Likewise, I am incredibly grateful to our partner organizations and key stakeholders for their all-important support in helping Crime Stoppers International achieve its vital work.”

Crime Stoppers International, Aylo and Ethical Capital Partners enter working relationship

Crime Stoppers International (CSI) has entered a working relationship with Aylo, a technology and media company that owns a large portfolio of adult entertainment properties, and Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), a private equity firm with vast regulatory, law enforcement, public engagement and finance experience.

This effort unites CSI, Aylo and ECP, in a shared goal to enhance cooperation and collaboration between the online adult industry, civil society and law enforcement in combating online harms and exploitation.

The details of the working relationship will be announced as the projects are introduced. Projects will be guided by shared values, resources and a profound commitment to collaborating with law enforcement, non-profit and other organizations who share the goals of reducing harm and exploitation on the internet as a whole.