Our Impact

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.

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.