Sextortion is one of the biggest drawbacks of social media usage especially when it comes to teens. In the wake of this, Meta is introducing a few new updates and efforts to help teens on its platforms combat sextortion.
Meta made this announcement on Tuesday 6th February 2023 after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified at a Senate hearing where Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told the executive that his company had blood on its hands, noting that a man in the audience lost his son to suicide after he was targeted in a sextortion ring on Instagram.
Zuckerberg was later pushed to apologize to the numerous parents in the audience who were holding up pictures of children they lost due to online abuse they faced on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The new updates are part of cubing such deaths and making Meta apps friendly to use by people of all ages.
Meta announced the expanded availability of Take It Down, which is an online tool that helps finance and is run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The company also updated its Sextortion hub with new guidance and is launching a global campaign to raise awareness about sextortion.
Take It Down is an update that is designed to prevent the spread of non-consensual intimate imagery. It was previously launched in 2023 in English and Spanish and it is now available in 25 more languages. This update allows teens to take back control of their intimate photos and prevents ex-partners and scammers from spreading them online.
Instagram hiding Sensitive Content from Teens.
The system can be used by people under 18 who are worried their content has been or may be posted online. It can also be used by parents or trusted adults on behalf of a young person. Plus, it can be used by adults who are concerned about images taken of them when they are under 18.
The system works by having users follow instructions to assign a unique hash, which is a digital fingerprint in the form of a numerical code, to their image or video privately from their device. Once the hash has been submitted to NCMEC, Meta can find copies of the image or video and take them down. It can also help prevent anyone who’s threatening them from posting them in the future. It’s worth noting that teens only need to submit the hash, rather than the intimate image or video itself.
Take It Down is now available in selected countries but Meta is working on rolling out this update in all countries of the world.
In addition, Meta is updating its Sextortion hub with new guidance for teens on how to take back control if someone is targeting them. The guidance includes advice for parents on how to support their teens if they’re being targeted.
As for the global campaign, Meta says it wants to make sure teens and parents are aware of these scams and what they can do to avoid them. The company will be working with safety organizations and creators to raise awareness on the matter.