Help. i have a problem

[WorryBNot]

I hope this is ok to post this here.

I've just gone to download a file and had my access blocked by my web provider with this message


access denied access has been denied by your internet access provider because this page may contain indecent images of children as identified by the internet watch foundation. deliberate attempts to access this or related material may result in you committing a criminal offence. the consequences of accessing such material are likely to be serious. people arrested risk losing their family and friends, access to children (including their own) and their jobs. stop it now! can provide confidential and anonymous help to address concerning internet behaviour. they have helped thousands of people in this situation.Obviously right now i'm in a giant panic. the file is nothing to do with the above and i've never had this problem before and use this file host alot. Should i be worried and expect a knock at the door or was this just for my safety?

I suffer from anxiety so yes i'm very on edge right now. help

[the_anxious_mind]

I am confused. Was the website blocked? Were you able to download the file? Or were you unable to open the file after downloading? If you had zero intentions of doing as listed, I wouldn't worry too much. If it was an honest mistake. It just depends on what kind of site you were on and your search history. I am unfamiliar with the error/warning message, as I have never heard of that. Anyway, more info might be helpful if you feel like sharing!

[MyNameIsTerry]

I can imagine this message is a shocker.

But it looks a bit dubious to me. The IWF do exist and so work with the police but why talk about impacts to your family when the issue the crime and subsequent punishment it could entail? Do the police first talk about how committing a crime means losing your family or do they talk about the punishment you could face in a court?

Also, the capitals are not there either. Again, fishy. I would expect them to get this right and signs of poor English can be a sign of scams. For instance, there is one about a European police force initiative and how you have been fined and your browser locked until you pay. But your browser isn't locked, it's just a bit of code to disable your browser window and shutting it down and very quickly getting rid of that tab can remove it. The English is poor, which you wouldn't expect in something so official, and it wants you to pay a fine online :winks:

Does it want you to click on anything or go to anywhere else?

Providing you know the file is fine, they would have to prove otherwise if this were legitimate. No matter what warning, if the file contains nothing illegal, nothing can happen and this makes me wonder if this is a scam or something set up to frighten people?

I also wonder why they would allow the content to be there? Web providers take down anything like that so why would the IWF leave it there with a message to say you have no access? They would have it taken down by the web provider wouldn't they? Or someone could still get around it and use it?

I think you should ask your web provider about this. You could ask the IWF but I think I would be wary of enquiring with a service like that as I would be concerned what info they store about enquiries from the public.

[WorryBNot]

To the_anxious_mind
It's a well known filehost. i can still access other links from the same site just not the above link. i didn't upload the file i was trying to download.

to MyNameIsTerry

The warning is legit and i've barely slept all night worrying

It won't let me post a link but it was a system introduced in the uk a few years ago. C&P what i've quoted into google and you should find a dailymail article.

[MyNameIsTerry]

This seems strange. The initiative reads as blocking a "site" not an individual "page".

You haven't proceeded with that individual page and the statement from the government when bringing this software in was that people are stumbling across illegal images.

If the file you were trying to download had appeared to you as not fitting this remit for the blocking then you stumbled across it. How would you know if someone had added indecent illegal images into a file if it doesn't give any clue when you are on a safe website? I take it this isn't a dark net site?

[WorryBNot]

No, just a filehost for sharing.

I've posted my problem on a few sites and everyone's told me it's nothing to worry about, someone has probably reported this file as suspicious and it's just to stop people accessing it but my anxiety is going absolutely crazy thinking i'm about to have police at my door.

I know i'm being stupid and have done nothing wrong but :weep:

[MyNameIsTerry]

Well you won't be having the police at your door since you haven't actually viewed or downloaded anything and those messages were put up to prevent the public coming across illegal images through genuine searches. They are a barrier. So, as long as you haven't used search terms for illegal content, you could be any member of the public downloading a file and then being shocked by this message.

But I still have my suspicions here as the English is not right and doesn't match the DM article.

If the file is suspicious, then it would have to be a suspicion of child abuse and the messages seem to go on whilst IWF investigate. Then it should be taken down.

[WorryBNot]

If the file is suspicious, then it would have to be a suspicion of child abuse and the messages seem to go on whilst IWF investigate. Then it should be taken down.
That's one of things that's bugging me. the file has been up for nearly a year

I have done Malware/Virus searches just to make sure (i kind of wish it was a virus) but nothing has been found

[MyNameIsTerry]

Have you seen the content before? If so, you know it's safe and could approach them to have the message removed as it is scaring members of the public.

The message may have gone on recently so the file is under investigation because they operate a take down service where they block, investigate and remove later.

[Bigboyuk]

HI I personally would delete this download file straight away but prior to this run a security scan through you device first and see what it finds :) and use a different search engine to see if the same file still exists! Good luck

[Noivous]

It's probably a hoax. But either way you didn't/couldn't download the file anyway right?

[Fishmanpa]

This is an old thread. The OP has probably resolved the issue ;)

Positive thoughts