Meta has announced that it’s joining 50 non-government organisations today to support the launch of UK Revenge Porn Helpline’s StopNCII.org which is aimed at stemming the flow of the non-consensual sharing of intimate images on the internet. Through StopNCII.org, users can assign hashes to their images (which never leave the device) and then these hashes are shared with partners, such as Facebook, to flag identical images that may have been uploaded to online platforms so that they can be removed.
While StopNCII.org is operated by a UK-based organisation, Meta stresses that the service is available to anyone over the age of 18 no matter where in the world they reside. To begin the process, head to the StopNCII.org website, open a new case, and answer a series of questions about the content. From there, the website can generate a unique hash for the picture concerned and send it out to partners who can then delete any pictures with a matching hash.
Sophie Mortimer, Revenge Porn Helpline Manager, SWGfL, said:
“StopNCII.org has been designed to be simple and easy to use, with detailed signposting to additional support and advice, giving back agency at a time when someone may feel utterly powerless. The team at the Revenge Porn Helpline have brought their years of experience working with victims in the UK to the development of StopNCII.org and we are very grateful for the support of Meta in funding and technical expertise to support this new platform.”
The new website uses technology that was initially developed by Facebook and Instagram’s NCII pilot which began in 2018. While Meta has been proactive in helping victims, there was a need for a cross-industry response and with StopNCII.org, different companies can take coordinated actions. To learn more head over to StopNCII.org.