Last Updated on April 11, 2024
Meta’s Instagram is finally taking steps to minimize the unadulterated content sent to teens via its direct messaging system. Users under 18 will automatically see blurred images that contain nudity, Instagram announced Thursday just ahead of the upcoming presidential elections.
The company also encourages adult users to turn on the feature, reported The Hill. The initiative is intended to protect users from potential “sextortion” scammers, according to Instagram’s blog post. But still, the public doesn’t know how far of a reach this will extend, particularly in the political realm.
The update comes after Meta and other social media platforms faced pressure to put restrictions in place to protect teens who frequently used the platforms.
Sextortion scams entail persuading a person into sending explicit photos and then threatening them to make the photos public unless payment or favors are granted. It ranks among the highest concerns for parents on social media. Big Tech hopes to clamp down unironically right in time for the presidential elections.
With the new update, nude photos will be blurred under a warning screen that states that the “photo may contain nudity” before the user decides to view it or not. According to The Hill, Instagram will also send users messages telling them “don’t feel pressured to respond,” with the option to block and/or report. Any user who tries to forward an explicit image will receive a message that urges them to reconsider.
After the Senate panel hearing in January over the risks these platforms pose to teens, Big Tech is feeling the pressure to crack down. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, along with the CEOs of Discord, Snap, X and TikTok, faced scrutiny from the panel and will probably amp up on such initiatives and possibly censorship.
The Hill reported that the House Energy and Commerce Committee is holding a hearing on Wednesday focusing on a group of bills aimed at protecting children online. The hearing will also include the unveiling of the comprehensive data privacy bill. Whether these bills overlap in some form with suppression or censorship is unknown, but it wouldn’t be too surprising.
With bipartisan support, the Senate Commerce Committee is expected to push forward these bills, reported The Hill. However, none have yet to be called to a floor vote.
The concern comes as support for Israel continues to plummet while establishment politicians scramble for the foreign lobby’s defense. There is also the upcoming presidential election. These bills may springboard a political defensive as Meta and Twitter did in the past with the Hunter Biden laptop story.
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If Republicans keep an eye on America rather than Israel, they could spot the holes in these bills and also prep for the much-expected counteroffensive Democrat-backed platforms, such as Meta, will take.