Instagram enhances safety features to combat sextortion scammers

Instagram has announced a new set of safety features to counter sextortion scams. Users can no longer screenshot or screen record ephemeral content in direct messages. This move aims to ensure that photos and videos marked as “view once” or “allow replay” are not saved or shared beyond their intended view. Teen Accounts, which protect young users by limiting who can contact them, will now prevent suspicious accounts from sending follow requests and accessing follower lists.

Additionally, Instagram will now block follow requests from accounts deemed suspicious or send them to a spam folder. The platform is rolling out a global nudity protection feature, blurring explicit content in DMs by default for teens, and issuing warnings about the risks of sending such images. In collaboration with Crisis Text Line, Instagram will offer support to users reporting child safety issues.

Furthermore, educational content about sextortion will be shared with teens in multiple countries, featuring influencers to raise awareness. These initiatives follow criticism over inadequate protection of young users and aim to bolster user safety.

Source: TechCrunch