Protection, privacy, and safety! Social platforms are wonderful spaces when it comes to sharing some of your highest moments with friends and admirers, but they can also be a space that invites unwanted guests. There is nothing wrong with posting some of your most beautiful summer pictures on the beach to your feed, but oftentimes it lures unwanted DMs that cross the line. Especially when you are an influencer with a public profile.
To protect users, public profiles, and influencers, the Meta-backed company has taken measures to better implement protection features to better control and prohibit unwanted content of over-exposure of bareness.
Instagram, over the past few months, has been testing multiple new features on its platform. From new engagement tools such as the repost feature to the inclusivity tests as well as filtering community-focused content. Yet one very important factor with Instagram rolled out is the new Nudity Protection Feature.
The new over-exposure protection feature was introduced for the safety and security of the users on the platform against unwanted bareness content. The feature restricts and helps to rid the use of disturbing and nude content on the platform.
Instagram is a platform used by various age groups, yet some of the most vulnerable and susceptible communities are teenagers. In order to better protect young users who are often times unfamiliar with privacy and protection tools on the platform, Instagram will provide the option to blur unwanted content before users will have the chance to see it.
How does the protection feature work?
Users will have the option to activate the feature that is to be utilized through DMs. Basically a nudity filter for your DMs, which blocks nude content on Instagram direct messages. The new nudity feature gives the option to their users to activate the nudity detection elements in their content. The feature was initially released for iOS users to scan their incoming and outgoing messages for over-exposed pictures.
If the protection feature is activated, it detects such content on the platform and blurs the image before users will be able to fully view it. An extremely handy tool that will give Instagram users more time to reflect or the option to choose whether or not they would like to view the content or not. So no need to hide from chats, but rather easily feel safe to open conversations and evaluate its appropriateness to report, block or delete.
Instagram and its parent company Meta will not download and analyze the files or emails for this feature. It will be done on the device itself, which for now is only available to Apple smartphones.
Apple has done its research and has reassured its users that it is not downloading the actual images. Everything is done through machine learning and data matching. The company stated that it never traces or tracks the details of the interactions on your Instagram handle.
The new protection feature by Instagram comes at a time when young, vulnerable, and naive users need it most. Reports about Facebook and Instagram last year revealed that unwanted Dms created pressure on users’ mental health due to disturbing content.
In companion to more protection features, the platform as well as Apple itself rolled out more safety tools such as a break reminder and updated in-app nudges.
Due to the threat of malicious and disturbing content on the internet, we believe this is a crucial and much-needed step taken by Instagram. Such a measure would go a long way as a protective measure for all its users. Such limitations are needed to maintain the safety of the users within the platform while enabling a safe space to freely share personal content.
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