About Friendly WiFi
Friendly WiFi is the UK Government-initiated certification standard for safer public WiFi. We independently certify public WiFi, giving organisations and users clear reassurance that the required filtering protections are in place.
Once certified, organisations can display the Friendly WiFi Approved symbol — giving customers, passengers, families and visitors visible reassurance that the WiFi has been independently checked.
Filtering provides the protection. Friendly WiFi provides the independent assurance.
The online safety conversation shouldn't stop at your front door.
The Online Safety Act has brought renewed attention to protecting children and young people from harmful online content, yet the risks don't disappear when people leave home.
Research published by the Children's Commissioner for England in 2025 found that 70% of surveyed young people had seen pornography before turning 18, with accidental exposure a major concern. And a 2025 investigation into public WiFi safety reported that 80% of the venues tested lacked content filtering — highlighting why public connectivity deserves greater scrutiny.
Every day, customers, families, visitors and passengers connect to WiFi in hotels, shopping centres, holiday parks, venues and transport networks.
Would you want inappropriate or illegal material accessible through the WiFi your organisation provides?
Providing public WiFi isn't just about connectivity. It's about taking online safety seriously, adopting best practice and doing the right thing. Friendly WiFi helps organisations make that commitment visible through independent certification.
Online safety matters wherever people connect.
Trusted across the UK
Steps to Certification
Achieving Friendly WiFi certification is straightforward. Follow these four steps to demonstrate that your public WiFi meets the Friendly WiFi standard.
Online Application
Complete our simple application with details about your organisation, locations and public WiFi service.
Terms Acceptance
Review and accept the Friendly WiFi certification requirements and ongoing licence terms.
Filter Validation
We independently validate that your Public WiFi filtering protections meet the Friendly WiFi standard.
Certified & Approved
Once approved, display the Friendly WiFi symbol to show that your public WiFi has been independently certified.
Certification is renewed annually with ongoing assurance throughout the licence period.
Sectors We Certify
The state of Public WiFi Safety: our research
Friendly WiFi is conducting independent, nationwide research into the effectiveness of content filtering on public WiFi networks across the UK. Our testing spans a wide range of sectors, including retail, hospitality, leisure, transport, entertainment and public spaces, covering well-known brands, major organisations and popular locations where millions of people connect to public WiFi.
Beginning in Manchester (October 2026), followed by Newcastle (November 2026) and London (December 2026), our research examines how effectively public WiFi networks block access to harmful and inappropriate online content. As our findings are validated, we will publish results highlighting filtering performance, areas of concern and examples of good practice, helping to build a clearer picture of public WiFi safety across the UK.
55
Networks
Tested
29.1%
Networks Not Blocking CSAM
38.2%
Networks Not Blocking Pornography
76.4%
Networks Not Blocking Terrorism
54.5%
Friendly WiFi Filtering Pass Rate
Validation Methodology
Friendly WiFi visited a representative cross-section of physical public WiFi networks across different sectors and conducted on-site testing using a mobile phone, replicating the experience of a typical visitor connecting to the service. Each network was assessed using a specialist online testing utility designed to verify whether the connection blocks access to harmful or illegal content, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), terrorist-related content and pornography. The test pages used by the utility are incorporated into relevant content-filtering blocklists, enabling the tests to assess whether filtering is operating effectively without accessing or exposing users to harmful content. Findings are validated against the results of these tests to provide an evidence-based assessment of each network’s content-filtering performance.
