Meta announces new nudity filter in effort to tackle sextortion

Meta's new filter uses on-device machine learning to analyse whether an image contains nudity, meaning it will work inside end-to-end encrypted chats. — Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa

LONDON: Meta has unveiled a range of new safety features designed to protect users, in particular young people, from “sextortion” and intimate image abuse.

The social media giant – which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – has confirmed it will begin testing a nudity filter in Direct Messages (DMs) on Instagram.