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Instagram is not a shining example of protecting young people online, having failed to stop its algorithm from promoting child sexual abuse material. But the new features bring some hope (at least a little?) that the platform will become more secure. Meta announced that it is rolling out new tools It aims to protect users from intimate image abuse and sextortion – when someone is digitally blackmailed under the threat of sharing intimate media.
One of the most important updates is that nudity protection is now available for private messages. Meta first confirmed that it was building this technology in 2022, and would automatically activate the tool for users under 18 years old. Once turned on, the machine learning tool will detect and blur images that are suspected to contain the recipient’s nudity. The analysis takes place on the user’s device, so messages must remain end-to-end encrypted without Meta being able to access them at all. Users will have the option to view the image along with a pop-up message from Meta saying they shouldn’t feel pressured to respond, along with a safety tips button and the option to block the sender.
The new Meta tool — which it will begin testing “soon” — also detects if a person is sending a nude photo and warns them to “use caution when sharing sensitive images” while outlining potential risks. Additionally, it reminds users that they can delete the message before anyone sees it. Then there’s the final warning: a reminder of responsibility and respect appears when someone tries to forward a message containing detected nudity (although image forwarding is still allowed).
Then there are tools designed to detect potential predators or sextortionists and make it more difficult for them to approach teens. Message requests from these potential bad actors should now move to hidden requests, and anyone already involved in a conversation will receive a warning that includes boundary reminders and steps to report users. As for young people, Meta previously banned people from messaging users 16 or younger if they weren’t connected to each other — even if the other account claimed to be the same age. Now, these would-be scammers won’t see the option to message teens even if they follow each other.
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