Meta has announced the development of a new safety tool aimed at preventing children from receiving and discouraging them from sending nude images, even in encrypted chats. The optional feature is expected to be available for both Instagram and Facebook users, including adults.
This initiative comes in response to criticism from government and law enforcement agencies following Meta’s decision to enable default encryption in Messenger chats. Critics argue that encryption hinders the detection of child abuse content.
According to Meta, the primary purpose of the new tool is to safeguard users, especially women and teenagers, from the sending or receiving of explicit images. The company also disclosed that minors will, by default, be unable to receive messages on Instagram and Messenger from strangers.
Earlier this month, police chiefs in England and Wales attributed an increase in sexual offenses committed by children to the sharing of nude images. Legal filings from a US lawsuit against Meta allege that around 100,000 teenage users of Facebook and Instagram face online sexual harassment daily. Meta disputes the characterization of its actions in the lawsuit.
Despite criticism of default encryption, Meta revealed plans for a new feature designed to protect teenagers from inappropriate content in their messages. This feature will extend to encrypted chats, with additional details to be disclosed later this year.
Critics argue that end-to-end encryption (e2ee) makes it challenging for Meta to identify and report child abuse material. Meta defends e2ee as a privacy-enhancing feature, and its new system, utilizing machine learning to identify nudity, will operate entirely on the user’s device.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) suggests that Meta’s approach demonstrates a balance between safety and privacy in end-to-end encrypted environments. Meta emphasizes the use of various systems to protect children, including the identification of suspicious adult behavior and limitations on adults’ ability to contact minors.
Meta asserts that it has introduced over 30 tools to enhance child safety and has unveiled new features, such as default settings preventing children from receiving messages from unfamiliar users. Additionally, parental supervision tools now grant parents the authority to deny teenagers’ requests to modify default safety settings.
In summary, Meta aims to address concerns about child safety in online interactions through the introduction of innovative tools and features, emphasizing a balance between privacy and protection.
