Instagram to Test Tools to Combat Sextortion

Published: 11 April 2024 at 11:19

Technology

Instagram is set to begin testing new tools, including a "nudity protection" feature that automatically blurs explicit images in direct messages, to combat sextortion. These tools will also include pop-ups directing potential victims to support services. Sextortion, a form of blackmail involving intimate images, poses a growing threat to young people globally. Recent cases in the US and Australia have highlighted the tragic consequences of sextortion. Instagram's nudity protection system, utilizing AI, aims to protect users from scammers and criminals engaging in sextortion without automatically reporting images to the company.

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Sextortion (Wikipedia)

Sextortion (a portmanteau of sex and extortion) employs non-physical forms of coercion to extort sexual favors from the victim. Sextortion refers to the broad category of sexual exploitation in which abuse of power is the means of coercion, as well as to the category of sexual exploitation in which threatened release of sexual images or information is the means of coercion.As used to describe an abuse of power, sextortion is a form of corruption in which people entrusted with power – such as government officials, judges, educators, law enforcement personnel, and employers – seek to extort sexual favors in exchange for something within their authority to grant or withhold. Examples of such abuses of power include: government officials who request sexual favors to obtain licenses or permits, teachers who trade good grades for sex with students, and employers who make providing sexual favors a condition of obtaining a job.Sextortion also refers to a form of blackmail in which sexual information or images are used to extort money or sexual favors from the victim. Social media and text messages are often the source of the sexual material and the threatened means of sharing it with others. An example of this type of sextortion is where people are extorted with a nude image of themselves they shared on the Internet through sexting. They are later coerced into giving money, or performing sexual acts with the person doing the extorting or are coerced into posing or performing sexually on camera, thus producing hardcore pornography. This method of blackmail is also frequently used to out LGBT people who keep their true sexual orientation private.A video highlighting the dangers of sextortion has been released by the National Crime Agency in the UK to educate people, especially given the fact that blackmail of a sexual nature may cause humiliation to a sufficient extent to cause the victim to take their own life, in addition to other efforts to educate the public on the risks of sextortion.

Instagram (Wikipedia)

Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters, be organized by hashtags, and be associated with a location via geographical tagging. Posts can be shared publicly or with preapproved followers. Users can browse other users' content by tags and locations, view trending content, like photos, and follow other users to add their content to a personal feed. A Meta-operated image-centric social media platform, it is available on iOS, Android, Windows 10, and the web. Users can take photos and edit them using built-in filters and other tools, then share them on other social media platforms like Facebook. It supports 32 languages including English, Spanish, French, Korean, and Japanese.Instagram was originally distinguished by allowing content to be framed only in a square (1:1) aspect ratio of 640 pixels to match the display width of the iPhone at the time. In 2015, this restriction was eased with an increase to 1080 pixels. It also added messaging features, the ability to include multiple images or videos in a single post, and a Stories feature—similar to its main competitor Snapchat—which allowed users to post their content to a sequential feed, with each post accessible to others for 24 hours. As of January 2019, Stories is used by 500 million people daily.Originally launched for iOS in October 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Instagram rapidly gained popularity, with one million registered users in two months, 10 million in a year, and 1 billion by June 2018. In April 2012, Facebook Inc. acquired the service for approximately US$1 billion in cash and stock. The Android version of Instagram was released in April 2012, followed by a feature-limited desktop interface in November 2012, a Fire OS app in June 2014, and an app for Windows 10 in October 2016. As of October 2015, over 40 billion photos had been uploaded. Although often admired for its success and influence, Instagram has also been criticized for negatively affecting teens' mental health, its policy and interface changes, its alleged censorship, and illegal and inappropriate content uploaded by users.

Blackmail (Wikipedia)

Blackmail is an act of coercion using a threat.As a criminal offence, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a threat to do something that would cause a person to suffer embarrassment or financial loss. In the Commonwealth by contrast it is wider: for example the laws of England and Wales and Northern Ireland state that:A person is guilty of blackmail if, with a view to gain for himself or another or with intent to cause loss to another, he makes any unwarranted demand with menaces...In popular culture, 'blackmail' involves a threat to reveal or publicize either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to family members or associates rather than to the general public.Acts of blackmail can also involve using threats of physical, mental or emotional harm, or of criminal prosecution, against the victim or someone close to the victim. It is normally carried out for personal gain, most commonly of position, money, or property.Blackmail may also be considered a form of extortion. Although the two are generally synonymous, extortion is the taking of personal property by threat of future harm. Blackmail is the use of threat to prevent another from engaging in a lawful occupation and writing libelous letters or letters that provoke a breach of the peace, as well as use of intimidation for purposes of collecting an unpaid debt.In many jurisdictions, blackmail is a statutory offence, often criminal, carrying punitive sanctions for convicted perpetrators. Blackmail is the name of a statutory offence in the United States, England and Wales, and Australia, and has been used as a convenient way of referring to certain other offenses, but was not a term used in English law until 1968.Blackmail was originally a term from the Scottish Borders meaning payments rendered in exchange for protection from thieves and marauders. The "mail" part of blackmail derives from Middle English male meaning "rent or tribute". This tribute (male or reditus) was paid in goods or labour ("nigri"); hence reditus nigri, or "blackmail".

Internet safety (Wikipedia)

Internet safety, also known as online safety, cyber safety and electronic safety (e-safety), refers to the policies, practices and processes that reduce the harms to people that are enabled by the (mis)use of information technology.As the number of internet users continues to grow worldwide, internets, governments, and organizations have expressed concerns about the safety of children and teenagers and the elderly using the Internet. Over 45% have announced they have endured some sort of cyber-harassment. Safer Internet Day is celebrated worldwide in February to raise awareness about internet safety. In the UK the Get Safe Online campaign has received sponsorship from government agency Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) and major Internet companies such as Microsoft and eBay.Online safety is necessary and validated as many businesses have been faced with excesses of attacks on the internet which has resulted in losing one’s life on the part of the victims, committing suicide, or psychological disorderliness. Cyberattacks on businesses and organizations are becoming a growing trend, and Africa is not exempted. The productivity, income, and client trust of organizations are all negatively impacted, not to mention the customers' security.

Threads Introduces Trending Topics Feature in the U.S.

Instagram's Threads app, similar to Twitter, launches its trending now feature widely in the U.S., aiming to provide users with real-time conversations and popular topics. The feature uses Meta's AI system to determine trending topics based on user engagement. Threads displays up to five trending topics at a time to curate the list and prevent issues like spam and ensure safety compliance. Despite Meta's avoidance of political content recommendations, political topics often dominate the trending topics on Threads, offering users insight into ongoing discussions and news events.

Instagram face (Wikipedia)

An Instagram face is a social trend for women to adjust their features to conform to a single template, either by applying filters to their photographs on social media, or via cosmetic surgery. The template face is young, with poreless, unwrinkled skin and plump, high cheekbones. It has catlike (uplifted) eyes and long lashes; it has a small, symmetrical nose and lush lips. It has a blank expression. According to Jia Tolentino, the face is exotic but distinctly white, and ambiguously "ethnic". The face has been described as "well-tanned, with South Asian brows and eye shape, African-American lips, Caucasian nose, and Native American/Middle Eastern cheeks."

Instagram husband (Wikipedia)

An Instagram husband is an unacknowledged photographer who composes social media posts for someone else, usually a romantic partner. On Instagram, a photo-sharing social networking service known for carefully curated posts and elaborately staged amateur photo shoots, an Instagram husband is the individual who operates the camera at the direction of the photo's subject. With the rise of social media influencer culture, the quotidian task of taking photos for a partner or friend, for some, escalates into an obligation similar to a job. The term "husband" is used without regard to gender or sexual orientation.The concept was introduced by a 2015 viral video that joked at the misery of men reluctantly assisting their partners in unending, impromptu photo shoots to share on social media. Since then, some of those types of social media creators have professionalized as influencers, earning an income from their social media followings. Accordingly, some professionalized Instagram husbands have adopted the moniker while joining in their partner's business.

Instagram limits political content by default, sparking concerns among creators

Since March, Instagram and Threads have limited political content by default, leading to an outcry from creators and activists who fear restricted reach and impact on social issues. GLAAD and Accountable Tech organized an open letter against this move, urging Instagram to make the limit opt-in instead. The definition of political content includes topics like laws, elections, and social issues, affecting marginalized voices and discussions on climate change and rights. LGBTQ creators express alarm over the impact on their community. Meta's decision has also raised worries about political engagement and information access during election year.