Instagram touts new tools to shield users from ‘sextortion’
Instagram has begun testing new tools designed to make it harder for scammers to interact with teens and to help protect all users from “sextortion” and intimate image abuse, the company said Thursday.
“Today, we’re sharing an overview of our latest work to tackle these crimes,” the social media platform said in an online statement.
That includes offering users new ways to spot potential scams and empowering them to “say no” to any interactions that might make them feel uncomfortable.
The company will also tackle “sextortion scammers” who use direct messages, or DMs, to trick unsuspected users into sharing intimate images of themselves with online scammers — only to be used against them later.
“While people overwhelming- ly use DMs to share what they love with their friends, family or favorite creators, sextortion scammers may also use private messages to share or ask for intimate images,” the company said, adding that it will soon begin testing its new “nudity protection feature” on direct messages.
When that feature is turned on — the default setting for users under 18 — people sending images containing nudity will receive a message reminding them to be cautious when sending “sensitive” photos. They will also be informed they can “unsend these photos if they’ve changed their mind.”
The tool blurs any images detected as “containing nudity” under a warning screen, the company said.
That means recipients won’t be confronted with nude images and they will also get a chance to decide whether or not they want to view them.
“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,” Instagram said.
Senders of nudes will be encouraged to “think twice before sending nude images,” and those trying to forward a nude image they’ve received will get a notification “encouraging them to reconsider.”