The spread of non-consensual sharing of intimate images (NCII) has been a battle for
Today, Meta,
Meta, along with Facebook Ireland, are amongst 50 non-governmental organisation partners globally to join the efforts of StopNCII.org. According to the press release from Meta, the platform is “the first global initiative of its kind” to help people who have faced their intimate images being shared without their consent.
The way the tool works is this: with StopNCII.org, a person concerned for their safety and privacy with regards to revenge porn can create a case. The tool includes a hash-generating technology which allots a unique hash value – or numerical code – to a specific image. Tech companies, like Meta, participating in the initiative can then receive the hash and use it to examine and identify whether said image has been shared online.
The program hugely differs from the initial pilot that
The battle to develop adequate and empowering technologies for this purpose continued in 2019, when the Facebook announced
The version announced today builds off of previous programs, with a markedly different approach to combating revenge porn.
The design of the updated tool and StopNCII.org is intended to provide control to the survivor, fueling their empowerment in the matter. It integrates the information and vital voices of survivors, experts, advocates, and other tech partners. The images shared with StopNCII.org will never leave a person’s device, but instead only the hash is shared with participating platforms in an effort to detect them.
“At the heart of the work developing this tool have been the needs of victims and survivors by putting them in control without having to compromise their privacy,” says Sophie Mortimer, Manager of the
While revenge porn has been outlawed in
The frequency of revenge porn, and the failure of certain tech companies to sufficiently dismantle existing systems, has been a point of concern for years. Telegram, for example, has
The term “revenge porn”, which is widely used, has also been criticised by survivors and activists, who deem it a
Meta’s tool, which can be deemed a step in the right direction, hopes to “strengthen” the company’s efforts in tackling the spread of NCII.
If you are a victim of nonconsensual pornography and you reside in the United States, please call the CCRI Crisis Helpline at