Share

Microsoft joins effort to curb revenge porn

Washington - Microsoft announced on Wednesday it was joining an effort to curb so-called "revenge porn", by helping victims remove links to sexually explicit images of them posted without their consent.

"When someone shares intimate images of another person online without that person's consent, the effects can be truly devastating," said Microsoft chief online safety office Jacqueline Beauchere in a blog post.

"Unfortunately, revenge porn is on the rise across the globe. It can damage nearly every aspect of a victim's life: Relationships, career, social activities. In the most severe and tragic cases, it has even led to suicide."

Beauchere said Microsoft has honoured requests to take down such content, but that it has now established a new reporting page that makes the process easier.

The page is currently available in English "and will be expanded to other languages in the coming weeks", Beauchere said. "When we remove links or content, we will do so globally."

Google, Twitter, Reddit and others have implemented similar policies.

"Clearly, this reporting mechanism is but one small step in a growing and much-needed effort across the public and private sectors to address the problem," Beauchere said.

"It's important to remember, for example, that removing links in search results to content hosted elsewhere online doesn't actually remove the content from the internet - victims still need stronger protections across the web and around the world."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.01
-0.5%
Rand - Pound
24.01
-0.5%
Rand - Euro
20.52
-0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.35
+0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.6%
Platinum
900.15
+0.4%
Palladium
1,000.00
-0.2%
Gold
2,209.40
+0.7%
Silver
24.58
-0.3%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,189
+0.8%
All Share
74,373
+0.6%
Resource 10
57,035
+2.5%
Industrial 25
103,662
+0.4%
Financial 15
16,492
-0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders