The rapid rise in rape cases over the past year has put teenagers at a serious disadvantage against bad actors who blackmail them for money. On Thursday, Instagram responded to the current crisis by launching a major campaign designed to prevent and stop trafficking.
The crime usually takes place on social media platforms, when an extortionist pressures a teenager to send explicit photographs of himself or themselves. Criminals use that content and demand money instead of keeping the images private.
Rape is associated with international criminal groups. Some teenage victims have committed suicide after being blackmailed.
Parents should talk to their children now about this online danger
Instagram's campaign aims to make it harder for people to use the platform for sexual harassment, while also educating teens and parents about the issue. It draws on insights from the Thorne National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a nonprofit organization that develops technology to protect children from sexual abuse.
New features include efforts to detect and block “fake” accounts, post certain security notices, and better protect ephemeral images or videos sent through private messages. Victims reporting violations or child protection concerns will also find the option to connect with a crisis text line that offers free crisis counseling.
Online safety advocates have praised Instagram's campaign against sexual harassment.
“This is a catastrophic threat, and collaborative efforts like these aimed at informing children about the dangers and empowering them to take action are critical,” Kelbi Schnabel, senior manager at Thorn, said in a statement.
New Instagram features to prevent breaches
Instagram tools focus on strengthening the security and privacy of teenage users. Last month, Instagram introduced a restriction on teen accounts, which default to personal and limits who can contact users 16 and under.
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The plaintiffs are suing Instagram's parent company, Meta. Others, including the state of California, have argued that the agency does not adequately protect minors from the harms or dangers of using Facebook and Instagram.
Meta A said in a blog post Thursday that the new sextortion prevention features should make it harder for bad actors to contact teens. While strangers cannot message teen accounts, unknown accounts can request to follow them.
You can hide friends and followers from bad actors on Instagram.
Credit: Courtesy of Meta
But now, Instagram will block or redirect follow requests sent to teens when an account exhibits “fraudulent” behavior. Additionally, those accounts cannot see a person's follower or follower lists, preventing them from using those connections and knowledge in an attempt to threaten.
Because extortioners often pose as teenagers in the victim's social circle, Instagram checks security notices displayed in Instagram and Messenger direct messages to alert users that the person they are talking to It may be in another country.
Users may receive a warning that the location does not match.
Credit: Courtesy of Meta
Another key to stopping sex offenders is that it is difficult for them to capture the images that the victim shares. Soon, Instagram will do exactly that by removing users' ability to temporarily take screenshots or record images shared through private messages. When using Instagram in a browser, users cannot open those temporary images and videos to “View once” or “Allow to view again.”
By default, teens under 18 cannot immediately view nude images sent to them via direct message. Instead, the image is blurred and is accompanied by a warning detailing the dangers of sending sensitive images. Instagram first tested the feature earlier this year and is now rolling it out globally.
Nude photos sent via direct message are naturally frowned upon among teenagers.
Credit: Courtesy of Meta
Online safety experts emphasize how important it is for desperate and panicked teens to seek help for sexual abuse. Victims who report it on Instagram will see an option to chat live with a crisis text line volunteer.
The Instagram campaign also features a new online resource that includes tips for dealing with rape, plus a link to NCMEC's Take It Down tool to help victims remove their images from participating online sites.
Meta said in its report that it recently removed more than 800 Facebook groups and 820 accounts associated with an international criminal group called Yahoo Boys, known for recruiting and training sex offenders. Over the summer, Meta removed more than 7,200 similar groups and accounts.
If you are a child who is being sexually exploited online, or if you know a child who is being sexually exploited online, or if you witness the sexual exploitation of a child online, you can report it to CyberDeepline.Operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
