Unwanted nudity photographs are a huge issue on social media, but Instagram is allegedly developing a solution that could be of assistance. The “Nudity prevention” technology “covers photographs that may include nudity in conversation,” according to an early screenshot posted by researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, giving users the choice of whether to view them or not. It’s in development, Instagram parent company Meta acknowledged to The Verge.
According to Meta, the intention is to protect users from offensive content like naked photographs. The business claimed that it is unable to examine the photographs for itself or share them with third parties as additional security. In order to ensure that these new capabilities protect people’s privacy while providing them control over the messages they receive, a spokesman said, “We’re working closely with experts.” Prior to any testing, it intends to provide further information in the upcoming weeks.
According to Meta, the new function is comparable to the “Hidden Words” tool introduced last year. Based on key terms, users can utilise that feature to filter abusive messages in DM requests. A request is automatically stored in a hidden folder that you can choose to never open if it contains any of the filter words you’ve selected, even though it isn’t entirely erased.
The addition of this tool, which has been long overdue given that social media platforms have mostly neglected the issue of unwanted nude photographs, is warmly received. In a study conducted in 2020 by the University College London, it was discovered that 75.8% of 150 young people between the ages of 12 and 18 have received unsolicited nude photographs.
Several nations, including California and the UK, have made “cyberflashing,” or sending unwelcome nude images, a criminal offence. If the Online Safety Bill is approved by the parliament, it might be become a crime in the UK. Although California didn’t go quite that far, the state house and senate unanimously passed last month to let users to sue over unsolicited nude images and other sexually explicit content.