Meta joins StopNCII.org to combat the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images on the Internet

Meta joins StopNCII.org, the platform created by the UK’s Revenge Porn Helpline to combat the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images on the Internet (NCII). StopNCII.org was developed on security and privacy principles. Through a system of numerical identifiers (called hash), it assigns unique fingerprints that help detect and prevent the circulation of intimate images. “The non-consensual dissemination of intimate images can have a devastating effect on a person’s life. Through pilot programs, since 2018 we have developed technologies to give people more control and privacy over their images and intimacy. StopNCII.org will bring those technologies to more people, and help more companies help stop NCII,” said Daniele Kleiner, Wellness and Safety Manager for Meta in Latin America. With the support of more than 50 organizations worldwide, this is the first global initiative of its kind. In Argentina, the project has the support of Faro Digital, a non-governmental organization dedicated to the promotion of rights on the Internet. “The dissemination of intimate images without consent is one of the problems that most worries and anguishes in digital environments. In our workshops, both adolescents and adults constantly tell us about situations where either intimate material is threatened or it is directly published in order to manipulate and harm. Keep in mind that this situation is serious, real and its consequences can be very hard for those who suffer. It is important that the whole society makes this type of violence visible, becomes aware of its dimensions, consequences and generates various strategies to prevent, manage cases and support those who suffer,” explained Lucía Fainboim, Director of Faro Digital.De this way, the initiative seeks to empower people to thwart attempts to violate their privacy on digital platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. How does it work? If a person is concerned that their intimate images have been posted or may be posted on platforms like Facebook or Instagram, they can create a case in StopNCII.org to proactively detect them. The tool uses identifier-generating technology that assigns a unique “hash” (a numeric code) to an image, creating a secure fingerprint. Tech companies participating in StopNCII.org will receive the “hash” and can use it to detect if someone has shared images or is trying to share them on their platforms. While StopNCII.org uses the “hash” to identify images that someone has shared or is attempting to share without consent, the original image never leaves the device of the person initiating the case. Only the “hashes”, and not the images themselves, are shared with StopNCII.org. This feature foresees the possible dissemination of that content and keeps those images secure on the owners’ device or cloud. StopNCII.org is for people over the age of 18 who think that an intimate image of them can be shared, or has already been shared without their consent. For children under the age of 18, there are other resources and organizations that can help them, such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Fingerprint available for the entire mundoStopNCII.org is available to people around the world. It will be operated by the UK’s Revenge Porn Helpline, an organization that has helped thousands of NCII victims and removed more than 90% of the content that has been reported to it since its founding in 2015.Stop NCII.org is based on technology developed for NCII pilots facebook and Instagram, that started in 2018 and help victims proactively curb the proliferation of their intimate images and not just remove them after the fact.

Original source in Spanish