Instagram has announced new safety features to target sextortion scams and help better protect teenagers on the platform.
The Meta-owned social media giant said it is using technology to spot signs that an account is engaging in scam behaviour and make it harder for them to interact with teenage users.
The firm said sextortion scammers often use the “Following” and “Follower” lists of their targets to try to blackmail them, but now accounts it detects to be showing signs of scam behaviour will not be able to see those lists, removing their ability to exploit this feature.
Sextortion scams involve criminals targeting often young adults and teenagers around the world, threatening to expose intimate images of them if they do not co-operate.
The new safety tools will also include no longer allowing people to use their device to directly screenshot or screen record ephemeral images or videos sent in messages – often the way scammers get hold of intimate images.
“This means that if someone sends a photo or video in Instagram DM or Messenger using our ‘View once’ or ‘Allow replay’ feature, they don’t need to worry about it being screenshotted or recorded in-app without their consent,” Meta said.
“We also won’t allow people to open ‘View once’ or ‘Allow replay’ images or videos on Instagram web, to avoid them circumventing screenshot prevention.”
The tech giant also confirmed it is now beginning to roll out nudity protection filters for direct messaging on Instagram.
Turned on by default for users under 18, it will blur images that the firm detects contain nudity and will warn users of the risks associated with sending such sensitive images.
Alongside the safety tools, Meta said it is launching a new video campaign on the platform, which will begin appearing in the feeds of teenage and young adult Instagram users in the UK, US, Canada and Australia with immediate effect, telling them how to spot the signs of a sextortion scam.
The update follows the high-profile introduction of Teen Accounts on Instagram, which places under-16s in the highest level of default safety settings, including extensive parental controls.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here