Instagram tools target sextortion

Instagram says it’s deploying new tools to protect young people and combat sexual extortion.

The tools include a feature that will automatically blur nudity in direct messages.

The social media platform said in a blog post Thursday that the new features are part of its work to fight sexual scams and other forms of “image abuse” and to make it tougher for criminals to contact teens.

Sexual extortion, or sextortion, involves persuading a person to send explicit photos online and then threatening to make the images public unless the victim pays money or engages in sexual favors.