During the first quarter of 2025, the Bulgarian Hotline made a targeted effort to increase the proportion of reports classified as “content confirmed as illegal” among all records submitted to the ICCAM system.

This effort resulted in measurable results. While the total volume of items inserted in Q1 rose by a modest 10% compared to the previous quarter, the number of confirmed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) cases demonstrated a significant improvement, with a 32% increase over Q4 2024. This growth reflects enhanced identification and reporting procedures within our team.

The confirmed CSAM content reported during this period was hosted across a broad range of countries, including the Netherlands, Romania, the United States, Sweden, Luxembourg, Vietnam, Panama, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Lithuania, Germany, Iran, Slovakia, Finland, Hong Kong, the Russian Federation, Iceland, and Japan.

In parallel, we received an unprecedented number of incoming reports via ICCAM - over 40,000 - concerning content hosted in Bulgaria. These originated from a wide array of reporting countries, led by the UK, Netherlands, Finland, Germany, and Ireland, followed by Colombia, Poland, Australia, France, Mexico, Sweden, Belgium, Portugal, Austria, Lithuania, Argentina, Cambodia, and Japan.

Emerging Trends

At the close of March 2025, data indicated a potential decline in the volume of CSAM content hosted in the Netherlands. This trend aligns with the recent introduction of more stringent legislation in the country, which imposes substantial financial penalties on providers that fail to promptly remove illegal content.

An especially positive development occurred in April 2025, when CSAM material hosted in Ukraine and reported via ICCAM was removed in under two hours from the time of submission. This rare but exemplary response underscores the importance of swift action and effective cooperation at the international level.


Visit Roditeli to learn more about the hotline.