Is Facebook's Revenge Porn Program Crazy?
Not to be a judge or anything, but Facebook's revenge porn program seems like a really bad idea.
The social media giant wants people to send in nude photos and videos of themselves. The company says it will build a database with them to stop other people from posting the same images on the website.
"Right," as Bill Cosby said.
Wrong on Many Levels
For the intake, Facebook employees will view the images in full, unedited form. If the employees determine the images violate site policies, they will be digitally fingerprinted to prevent them from being published on Facebook or Instagram, which the company owns.
It could work, provided Facebook employees -- or hackers -- don't use them for other purposes. Doesn't anybody remember the Ashley Madison hack?!
"We would expect that Facebook has absolutely watertight systems to guard the privacy of victims," attorney Alexandra Whiston-Dew told Newsweek. "It is quite counter-intuitive to send such intimate images to an unknown recipient, and Facebook will need to be able to reassure people that they have the right measures in place to protect them."
Right.
Pervert's Remedy?
Revenge porn is real. Twitter recently launched its own campaign against the unlawful practice, rewriting policies and beefing up its filtering system.
But it is not building a database of nude pictures (let's hope). Ars Technica said "Facebook's remedy may be as bad as the ailment it seeks to treat."
Not to be a purveyor of porn or anything, but Facebook abusers could send in obscene images to the website for review. Will the company store them or report them for violating obscenity laws?
Right.
Related Resources:
- Why Does Facebook Want Your Nude Photos? (Newsweek)
- Twitter Attacks Revenge Porn and Hate Speech (FindLaw's Technologist)
- Immunity for Internet Service Providers Under Siege? (FindLaw's Technologist)