Snap introduces measures to combat rising teen 'sextortion' scams
What's the story
Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, is introducing new protective measures to safeguard teenage users from increasingly sophisticated 'sextortion' scams on the platform. The company plans to implement warning messages and automatic friend request blocks for accounts suspected of malicious activity. These features aim to counteract sextortion scams where perpetrators threaten to expose explicit photos unless victims comply with demands for money or additional explicit material.
Warning system
Strategy to counter sextortion scams
Snap's new approach involves displaying a warning message in the Snapchat app when teens receive a message from someone who has been blocked or reported by others. This also applies if the sender's account originates from an unusual region not typically associated with the teen's network. Previously, such warnings were only displayed for accounts with no mutual friends or those not linked to any contacts.
Enhanced security
Friend request block and location sharing settings
Snapchat will now block friend requests from accounts with no mutual friends or those frequently accessed from scam-associated locations. These are identified as potential indicators of fraudulent behavior. In addition, Snap is consolidating all location sharing settings in one place, enabling users to easily manage who they share their location with. Users can choose to share their location with all friends, exclude specific ones, or share only with selected friends.
Broader problem
Sextortion scams: A widespread issue beyond Snapchat
The issue of sextortion is not exclusive to Snapchat. The advent of AI technology has facilitated the creation of fake explicit images, exacerbating the problem. While these new measures may not completely eliminate the issue, companies are being urged to take action. This comes as governments worldwide are increasingly advocating for social media regulation to protect children from such threats.