Instagram’s “View Once” Feature Now Truly Secures Your Photos

When we engage on social media, we expose ourselves to a vast audience. Unfortunately, this openness means we are also vulnerable to those with malicious intent. Image-centric platforms like Instagram have become hotspots for scams, particularly with the rise of image extortion. To address the increasing occurrences of this issue, Instagram is introducing new safety features starting today.

Instagram Introduces New Safety Tools to Combat Image Abuse

Today, in an announcement shared through Meta’s Newsroom, Instagram revealed a partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Thorn to enhance its measures against incidents such as “sextortion” and “intimate image abuse.” These scams predominantly target younger users, especially teens, threatening to share intimate photos if payments are not made.

The new protective features on Instagram will include restricting the ability to take screenshots of disappearing images, monitoring follow requests more effectively, and implementing measures against nudity.

Protection for Disappearing Images

A feature that will soon be available to all Instagram users is the prevention of screenshots and screen recordings of ephemeral images. This pertains to photos or videos shared using the “view once” or “allow replay” options in Instagram DMs or Messenger.

In the past, if a user sent a disappearing message, the recipient could take a screenshot, with the sender being notified of this action. Now, any attempt to screenshot a disappearing image will result in a black screen and a notification stating that “you can’t screenshot or record this.”

Monitoring Follow Requests and Follower Lists

Starting today, Instagram will also flag profiles that exhibit characteristics typical of scams, such as recently created accounts. If these profiles send follow requests to teen users, Instagram may either block them or redirect these requests to the spam folder. Additionally, if any suspicious account manages to reach a user, Instagram will alert them, particularly if the account is from a different country.

Furthermore, given that lists of followers and following profiles have been used in extortion schemes, Instagram will restrict access to these lists for accounts identified as exhibiting “scammy behavior.”

Nudity Detection for Teen Accounts

Following the introduction of Teen Accounts last month, Instagram is now extending one of its beta features to all Teen Accounts, while also making it available as an optional tool for users worldwide. This nudity detection feature automatically blurs images flagged by the algorithm as containing nudity in Instagram DMs.

More Resources for Crisis Support

While these safety features are important, they can only go so far, as malicious individuals will always try to find loopholes. To assist users further, Instagram is offering additional resources, including a link to the Crisis Text Line for those in the U.S. who suspect they are being scammed.

However, resources like this are only effective if people know to seek help. To address any stigma or reluctance to ask for support, Instagram has partnered with NCMEC and Thorn to launch an educational campaign. This initiative includes a video that highlights the warning signs and best practices for staying safe online.

Tragically, reports indicate that this type of crime is on the rise, with the NCMEC citing a more than 300% increase in online enticement reports from 2021 to 2023. While social media often serves as a breeding ground for scams, awareness of what to be cautious about can help users steer clear of them. Education is crucial, and it’s encouraging to see a major platform like Meta dedicating resources toward both feature development and user education.