Instagram Introduces Nudity Protection Feature to Combat Sextortion. Check How Will it Work

In a bid to combat sextortion and other forms of intimate image abuse, Instagram, the social media platform backed by Meta, has announced the testing of new features aimed at protecting users from harmful content. The company revealed on Thursday that it is rolling out a nudity protection feature in Instagram direct messages (DMs), utilizing on-device machine learning to automatically detect and address images containing nudity.

Instagram emphasized that the detection of nude images will occur on users' devices, ensuring privacy and security, with Meta only accessing images if they are reported by users. 

The move comes as a response to the growing concern over financial sextortion, where predators coerce victims into sending sexually explicit photos or videos and then extort money or threaten to publish the images online.

The Nudity Protection feature will be activated by default for users under the age of 18 worldwide, while adults will receive notifications encouraging them to enable the feature. 

Here’s how the Nudity protection feature will work 

Once activated, senders of images containing nudity will be reminded to exercise caution, with recipients given the option to unsend such images if they have second thoughts. 

Anyone who tries to forward a nude image they’ve received will see a message encouraging them to reconsider.

To further shield users from unwanted nudity, Instagram will blur images containing nudity in DMs and display them under a warning screen. Users will be encouraged not to feel pressured to respond and will be provided with options to block the sender and report the chat if necessary.

When sending or receiving these images, people will be directed to safety tips, developed with guidance from experts, about the potential risks involved. 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. They also link to a range of resources, including Meta’s Safety Center, support helplines, StopNCII.org for those over 18, and Take It Down for those under 18, Instagram said.