TikTok and Bumble join Meta to take down revenge porn

Back in 2017, Facebook (now Meta) asked Australians to participate in a program in which they upload their nudes to the platform. (A big ask, we know!) Then, the tech giant converted the images into a digital fingerprint called a hash. The idea was to give revenge porn victims some control by developing a combat tool called hash-matching technology.

Once the image was "hashed," Meta could search for and block anyone who tries to upload the original images to its platform. The program is in partnership with SWGfL, a UK-based non-profit behind the Revenge Porn Helpline. It might sound weird, but surprisingly, it's actually working. And it has helped over 12,000 people to hash more than 40,000 intimate photos and videos.  

This week, TikTok and the dating app Bumble have joined the program, too. It makes sense that Gen Z's favorite video platform is putting effort into tackling online sexual harassment, especially since the UK is about to introduce new rules requiring platforms to prioritize the removal of revenge porn and other illegal content under the Online Safety Bill.

Key comments:

"We now have four platforms, but we need thousands," said David Wright, SWGfL's CEO, to Bloomberg. "The more we can get ingesting the hashes, the more we can reduce the threat and fear victims experience."

"We are delighted that Facebook is helping solve this problem – one faced not only by victims of actual revenge porn but also individuals with worries of imminently becoming victims," said Carrie Goldberg, a New York-based lawyer who specializes in sexual privacy when Meta first started the program. "With its billions of users, Facebook is one place where many offenders aggress because they can maximize the harm by broadcasting the nonconsensual porn to those most close to the victim. So this is impactful."

"Today's announcement refocuses the Online Safety Bill on its original aims: the pressing need to protect children and tackle criminal activity online while preserving free speech, ensuring tech firms are accountable to their users, and empowering adults to make more informed choices about the platforms they use," said the UK government in a statement.