Instagram says it is testing new features aimed at protecting young people and combating sexual extortion on Meta platforms.
One of the new features includes automatically blurring nudity in direct messages (DMs).
Instagram said in a blog post that the new changes aim to “make it more difficult for potential scammers and criminals to find and interact with teens”.
It’s a growing issue across the world, so what is sextortion and how does Instagram plan to target it?
How is Instagram combating sextortion?
Instagram’s nudity protection will blur an image and encourage anyone trying to forward a nude image to reconsider.
“When someone receives an image containing nudity, it will be automatically blurred under a warning screen, meaning the recipient isn’t confronted with a nude image and they can choose whether or not to view it,” Instagram said.
“We’ll also show them a message encouraging them not to feel pressure to respond, with an option to block the sender and report the chat.”
The feature will be automatically turned on for users aged under 18.
Other developments include:
- Defaulting teens into stricter message settings so they can’t be messaged by anyone they’re not already connected to
- Showing safety notices to teens who are already in contact with potential scam accounts
- Offering a dedicated option for people to report direct messages threatening to share private images
- Developing a platform that lets young people take back control of their intimate images and helps prevent them from being shared online.
Instagram says it will direct safety tips to anyone who is sending or receiving nude images.
“These tips include reminders that people may screenshot or forward images without your knowledge, that your relationship to the person may change in the future, and that you should review profiles carefully in case they’re not who they say they are.”
What is sextortion?
The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation describes sextortion as “a form of blackmail where someone tricks or coerces you into sending sexual images of yourself and then threatens to share the images unless you comply with their demands”.
abc
