Facebook begins Anti-Revenge Porn Trial by ‘Remembering’ Nudes

Facebook is planning a new system to combat revenge porn. It will involve the platform ‘remembering’ nudes.

To test this out, the social media site has begun a trial, located in Australia. This new feature would involve users messaging themselves a nude photo, in order for Facebook to create a ‘footprint’ of it.

For this temporary run in Australia, Facebook is working alongside the Office of eSafety Commissioner. Over the years, the country has faced a rise in revenge porn, where individuals publicly post nude images of their ex-partners.

Even a study found that 1 in 5 Australian women, aged between 18-45, may have experienced imaged-based abuse.

But how does this new system work? If a Facebook user feels worried about a nude image, they can report their concerns to the platform’s office. Facebook will ask them to message the image to themselves.

Through this, the social media website creates a digital ‘footprint’ of the photo. However, they claim these images won’t be stored. Meaning potential hackers have no access to them. Office of eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant clarified:

“They’re not storing the image, they’re storing the link and using artificial intelligence and other photo-matching technologies.” Once Facebook creates the ‘footprint’, they will then use this to identify the image if indeed someone posts it.

If this trial hails as a success, many countries will surely welcome the new system. Particularly in the UK, where this type of porn is considered as a criminal offence.

Experts remain divided on whether it will tackle the issue appropriately. Professor Clare McGlynn described it to BBC News as an “innovative experiment” but added:

“However, this approach is only ever going to work for a few people and when we think of the vast number of nudes taken and shared each day, this clearly isn’t a solution.”

Yet, security consultant Graham Cluley suggested:

“Facebook knows that there will be many people concerned about how it handles such sensitive content, and I imagine they have put a good deal of thought into minimising the chances that anything goes wrong.”

While it only remains as a trial, many will be keen to see its results. Even Facebook has said they look forward to the feedback they receive from users.

With revenge porn cases rising, one has to admire the social media website for making new attempts to combat this issue.