At this point, we have seen far too many horror stories of minors being sexually exploited and blackmailed after being convinced to send nude photos to abusive people over social media. This practice, which has come to be termed “sextortion,” ruins lives and in some cases has led to suicides. Of the many poisons that the advent of the internet has injected into the body of society, this is clearly among the worst. But what, if anything, can be done about it? This week, Instagram, owned by Meta, has announced what they believe may be a partial solution. They will begin blurring any nude images going to or from accounts registered to minors under the age of 18. However, while the intent may seem laudable, this policy raises a number of questions about free expression and its potential efficacy appears dubious at best. (Associated Press)
Instagram says it’s deploying new tools to…
