Snapchat to stop sextortion for young users with new safety features: Tech : Tech Times

Nowadays, sextortion scams are almost present in every social media app. Snapchat aims to protect its community, especially the most vulnerable group, teenagers, from online dangers.

The latest updates include expanded in-app warnings, improved friend protections, simplified location sharing, and improved blocking mechanisms, all designed to strengthen genuine friendships on the platform.

Improved in-app warnings to mitigate risks

(Photo: Unsplash Thought Catalog)

Snapchat will ensure that teens are not easily contacted by strangers or lurkers. The new safety tool is created to stop sextortion on the platform.

In November 2023, Snapchat introduced a pop-up warning for teens when they receive messages from people they don’t have mutual friends with or aren’t in their contacts. This feature empowered millions of Snapchat users, resulting in over 12 million blocks.

Now, Snapchat is expanding these warnings to incorporate advanced signals. In its recent post, Snap says teens will receive alerts if they receive messages from someone who has been blocked or reported by others, or from a region unfamiliar with the teen’s network. These signals are intended to help users identify potential fraudsters and make informed decisions about their interactions.

“These features were designed to better protect teens from potential dangers online and to improve the connections with real friends that make Snapchat so unique,” Jacqueline Beauchère, Snap’s global head of platform safety, told CNN .

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Reinforced friendly protections

Snapchat has always required users to proactively choose their contacts, making it difficult for strangers to reach them.

Based on this, Snapchat is now implementing additional friendship protections. Teens will not be suggested in Quick Add or Search unless they have multiple mutual connections with the requester. Additionally, friend requests will be blocked if the sender has previously accessed Snapchat in locations typically associated with fraudulent activity.

These updates are part of Snapchat’s ongoing efforts to combat sophisticated sextortion scams, often perpetrated by money-motivated bad actors outside the United States.

Simplified location sharing for better privacy

Snapchatters, including teenagers, regularly receive reminders to check their account security and privacy settings. With this, the app introduces more frequent reminders to ensure that users always know which friends they are sharing their location with on Snap Map.

Simplified location sharing features will allow users to easily customize which friends can see their location. Snapchatters will have a single destination to view, update and manage their location settings, ensuring they can easily control their visibility.

Location sharing on Snap Map is turned off by default, requiring users to choose to share their location. Additionally, Snapchatters can only share their location with existing friends, preventing broader access to the community.

Improved blocking features to prevent harassment

Snapchat has long offered tools that allow users to block unwanted contacts. However, some malicious actors create new accounts to bypass these blocks. To combat this, Snapchat is improving its blocking tools.

Now blocking a user will also block new friend requests from all accounts created on the same device. This measure aims to prevent bullying and repeated harassment, ensuring a safer environment for all users.

Commitment to community safety

These new tools build on Snapchat’s ongoing commitment to helping users connect with their close friends in a safe, private and supportive environment.

Previously, Snapchat introduced parental content controls to prevent minors from seeing inappropriate content online.

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