This is how Facebook plans to fight back against revenge porn

It’s bad enough when a private photo is shared without your consent — but these image can spread like wildfire if they’re posted on social media platforms. That’s why it’s so important that Facebook plans to fight back against revenge porn with a new tool that also applies to Messenger and Instagram.

As of April 5th, Facebook’s new anti-revenge porn protection will block users from sharing private photos if they are reported to the company.

The report doesn’t have to come from you — if a friend spots the image before you do, they can immediately report the user to Facebook in order to prevent it from spreading.

Once the image is reported, a trained specialist will review it and remove the photo if they determine that it violates Facebook’s standards. The user’s entire account may also be deactivated.

In order to prevent the image from spreading, photo-matching technology will be used to ensure that no one else is sharing the picture on other social media platforms.

Facebook has also partnered with safety organizations to provide resources for people who are victims of revenge porn — this is an incredibly important step, because 93 percent of people who’ve had their private photos shared report significant emotional distress.

This policy is a major step in the right direction. Let’s hope that it’s effective in preventing revenge porn, and other social media outlets will follow suit.