Do you ever get unsolicited nude photos sent via Instagram in your DM? Good news: soon that should be a thing of the past. Instagram is working on a feature where the app will automatically block nude photos in instant messages.
Nudity Protection
To block nude photos in DM (Direct Message), the app uses a system with artificial intelligence. With the feature, called Nudity Protection, the system filters nude images as well as swearing and threats without you having to do anything yourself.
Online sexual harassment
With this feature, according to a spokesperson for Instagram parent company Meta, people would be better protected from unwanted messages. A survey released last year found that 33 percent of women under 35 have been sexually harassed online.
Protecting privacy
By the way, the feature is not immediately effective in the app. In fact, you have to enable it first. You can also choose to still view a blocked photo. Instagram itself does not scan the photos on its servers. To do so, the app uses technology on the user's device. "We are working closely with experts to ensure that these new features protect people's privacy," said the spokesperson. DMs between Instagram users will therefore only be visible to the person sending the message and the person receiving the message.
More to be announced soon
It will be a while before we can use the feature. This is because Instagram has just started developing the filter and it has not yet been tested by users. But soon Instagram's parent company is going to announce more about the feature.