A Sunday report from the New York Timeslays bare a chilling statistic regarding the role social media platforms can eroticism definplay in facilitating child sexual abuse and the spread of child pornography online.
Of the 18.4 million reports of child sexual abuse worldwide in 2018, a staggering 12 million trace back to Facebook Messenger. That's according to "people familiar with the reports." Although it's only one facet of a much more widespread problem, the outsize role played by Messenger is hard to overlook.
Even more troubling is the fact that efforts in the tech space to protect users could only worsen the situation. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg wrote at length back in March about the company's plans to create a more secure platform, and it's a process that includes encrypting private content on the site.
That could create more problems than it fixes, though. Encrypted messaging provides a level of security to everyone who uses it, including abusers and sexual predators. With that kind of protection in place, not even a platform holder (like Facebook) can view the messages being sent.
That's significant when you account for the fact that a majority of reports on wrongdoing come from the platform holders themselves. So while most of us would rather not have a social media gatekeeper snooping in on our private conversations, there's a case to be made that it does serve a purpose.
Zuckerberg addressed this directly back in March. "Encryption is a powerful tool for privacy, but that includes the privacy of people doing bad things," he wrote. "When billions of people use a service to connect, some of them are going to misuse it for truly terrible things like child exploitation, terrorism, and extortion."
Going the "no encryption" route carries its own risks, though. For people living under oppressive governments, or who are at a higher risk of being hacked, unencrypted messaging is a liability. It's very much a "damned if you do; damned if you don't" kind of situation.
This very thing was the subject of a conference held at Stanford earlier in September featuring a range of interests, from platform-holders to government agencies to activists and academics. An on-the-ground report from The Verge reinforced just how complicated these questions really are. Even if everyone at the conference agrees in principle that child pornography is a bad thing, finding the right ways to combat it simply aren't easy.
SEE ALSO: Facebook's 'clear history' feature delayed in U.S. over sex-trafficking caseAs the report's author, Casey Newton, pointed out in summarizing one of the day's big takeaways: "Something can be secure even if it's not encrypted, and something can be unsafe even if it is." There aren't any straightforward answers.
Facebook doesn't have an answer for all of it, but the company's position is that it's well-positioned to develop the right strategies for shutting down unlawful behavior on its platform. That was the gist of a statement provided to Mashable by a Facebook spokesperson on Sunday.
"We compete with encrypted messaging services around the world; and as encryption becomes more and more the industry standard, we remain the service best equipped to keep people safe," the statement reads. "We are devoting new teams, sophisticated technology and enormous resources toward the goal of building the most-safe, private space for people to connect."
Topics Cybersecurity Facebook Social Media
Best rope light deal: Save 25% on Lepro N1 AI Smart RGB LED Strip Lights
'Call of Duty: WWII' delivers a gutless view of the Holocaust (review)
Portia de Rossi says Steven Seagal sexually harassed her during audition
Stephen King thinks 'Stranger Things 2' is 'balls to the wall entertainment'
Bargaining For the Common Good
Apple lands new drama with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon
Las Vegas and AAA's self
Apple Pay Cash review: I think Apple just killed Venmo
The Sound and the “Furious”
Vespa shows off its first all
Amazon Pet Day: All the best deals
Uber shows off its flying taxi service in new video
CNN might have to be sold for the AT&T/Time Warner deal to go through
Your star sign actually determines how you use your iPhone, trust us
Amazon Spring Sale 2025: Best Apple AirPods 4 deal
Snap loses its head of the engineering amid plans to overhaul Snapchat app
Will Hopper die in Stranger Things 3? David Harbour says he's 'very killable'
Portrait mode compared: iPhone X vs. Pixel 2 vs. Galaxy Note 8
Contingent No More
New Google Chrome feature blocks sketchy pop
Fallout 4 nextBeyoncé is promoting a plantDiamond League Athletics Shanghai 2024 livestream: Watch live athletics for freeRandom Apple ID password resets are plaguing the internetHow to turn off Find My iPhoneReal Sociedad vs. Real Madrid 2024 livestream: Watch La Liga for freeLiquor maker Moutai partners with Dove to launch baijiuXiaomi 14 with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to launch in October · TechNodeHow wild bioacoustics recorded in rainforests help conservationistsInsiders deny ChinaThese are the animals that went extinct in 2018Why the extinction of a small Hawaiian snail is a giant lossHuawei and Xiaomi announce global patent licensing agreement · TechNodeNio may form joint venture with Great Wall MotorBilibili requires users to tag AIAnalyst says Apple’s shipments may drop 10 million after new Huawei launches · TechNodeHuawei and Xiaomi announce global patent licensing agreement · TechNodeSabrina Carpenter's 'Espresso' gets the meme treatmentWhat is Google One?How wild bioacoustics recorded in rainforests help conservationists Winter Olympics include a Guinness World Record set by Intel’s drones Apple files DMCA takedown after iBoot source code hits GitHub Kylie Jenner, MKBHD, Chrissy Teigen question Snapchat's redesign 2 total strangers recreated a famous WWII photo at the Eagles parade Apple HomePod repair costs $280 if you don't buy AppleCare+ Everything you need to understand the Uber Female Uber drivers make less than their male counterparts, but it's not what you think This video of a debut author unwrapping her first novel is super adorable Detroit quickly reverses ban on Airbnb after backlash Patagonia's new activism platform finds you convenient ways to save the planet Apple is rejecting apps from the App Store for using emoji 'Solo' star Paul Bettany will play a 'Star Wars' crime boss Amazon's Prime Now can deliver groceries from Whole Foods 10 things we just learned about Apple HomePod An interview with '2 Dope Queens' Phoebe Robinson on #MeToo in comedy 'Stranger Things 3' reveals episode count Facebook looks to be testing comment downvotes Shortly after SpaceX launch, Reddit has wallpapers of Starman in Tesla Disney says ESPN Plus streaming service coming spring 2018 Woman instantly regrets decision to order Dr. Martens from eBay
1.9735s , 8286.125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【eroticism defin】,Fresh Information Network