An independent software developer has released a filter to protect users from unsolicited nudes on Twitter.
‘Safe DM’ is a downloadable add-on that blocks and deletes images of penises that have been shared via the direct messaging function. There are also other ongoing discussions about linking the software to another major social media platform.
Kelsey Bressler began to work on the project after receiving an inappropriate image from a man she had never met.
She told the BBC: “[Sending an unsolicited nude is the] virtual equivalent of flashing someone in the street. You’re not giving them a chance to consent, you are forcing the image on them, and that is never okay.
“We would like to roll this out on other social media platforms and are discussing where to go next.”
Bressler tested the technology by setting up a new Twitter handle, @showyodiq, and asked users to send pictures of human penises and other phallic shaped objects. More than 4,000 images were submitted as part of the process and Safe DM reportedly had a 99% success rate.
The technology is similar to Bumble’s ‘Private Detector’ which went live on the app in October. This blurs images of all genitalia, not just penises, and gives the recipient the option of whether they want to view it, or just delete it immediately and make a report.
On the other hand, Safe DM automatically deletes pictures and sends a message to both parties to let them know the content was inappropriate, making it impossible to send consensual nudes.
A 2018 YouGov survey found that 41% of female millennials in the UK have received a sexual image that they didn’t ask for.
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