Instagram is trying to pay more attention to the safety of its users, illustrative | photo: Unsplash
Instagram recently introduced new security features aimed at protecting teens from a form of blackmail where young people are forced to share intimate images. These changes include, for example, banning screen captures and uploading missing images and videos. Nevertheless, there are critics who claim that the measures are not enough. The question remains whether these measures are really able to prevent abuse and how they will protect users in practice.
Instagram will make it impossible to take a screenshot
Meta says these measures are part of a wider effort to improve security, relying on user feedback. But critics, including former Meta employee Artur Béjar, warn that Instagram could improve how easily young people can report suspicious accounts. According to Béjar, it is often too late when users report this act. The damage has already been done.
Abuse of intimate images is becoming an increasingly widespread threat, especially among teenage boys, experts say. Organizations such as the NSPCC warn that Meta should extend similar safeguards to all its platforms, including WhatsApp, where extortion also occurs. Although Instagram is implementing safeguards such as blocking screenshots, some experts say the measures can instead create a false sense of security.
Instagram recently started deleting intimate photos. It will now disable their screenshots | photo: Meta
Prevention should be the basis
Meta also continues to work on improving mechanisms that make it easier for users to report suspicious activity, and is strengthening educational campaigns aimed at parents and children. The company said it will strengthen its ability to report suspicious accounts and introduce additional safeguards to better identify potential fraudsters.
According to cybersecurity experts, a form of blackmail on social media is an increasingly serious problem. Young people, especially boys, fall prey to fraudsters who blackmail them through fake accounts. This form of abuse involves luring victims into sending intimate material, which is then used for blackmail. As a result, Meta is not only expanding its security tools, but also planning a long-term campaign to raise awareness of the risks and educate users, which should lead to successful prevention.
Source: mobilizujeme.cz
