APPLE is updating the iPhone with a special filter to help stop children sending or receiving nude images.
It’s a bid to stop child abusers targeting youngsters – and prevent minors from sharing exploitative images of themselves.
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The major update is expected to land in the coming weeks, The Sun understands.
It launched as a feature in the US late last year, but is now coming to the UK.
The iPhone will detect when an underage user is attempting to receive or send photos that contain nudity.
Apple will immediately blur a nude image that’s received by a child, blocking it from view.
Resources for children and parents will appear – and youngsters will be reassured that it’s OK to not view the photo.
If a child attempts to send an explicit photo, they’ll be warned against it.
And they’ll also be given the option to message someone for help if they choose.
All of the messages are analysed on the device to determine if they contain nudity.
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That means Apple itself can’t see it – and won’t know if a device has detected nudity.
Apple also doesn’t get access to the offending message, in a bid to boost privacy around potential false positives.
The feature will be turned off by default, but can be switched on by parents.
It’s only available on iOS for accounts that have been set up as families in iCloud.
The warnings are only shown to children, which can then be flagged to parents at the child’s request.
But no notifications are sent to a parent or anyone else.
The upcoming iPhone update will also dish out child safety guidance through Siri, Spotlight and Safari search.
One example is for users who ask Siri how to report child exploitation.
They’ll be redirected to specific UK authorities where a report can be filed.
And the iPhone will even intervene if a user searches for queries related to child exploitation.
“These interventions explain to users that interest in this topic is harmful and problematic,” Apple said.
“And provide resources from partners to get help with this issue.”
You’ll be able to access the new features in the UK through an iPhone update soon.
And US users can already access these features today.
The Internet Watch Foundation hailed the update as a win for protecting children online.
“We’re pleased to see Apple expanding the communication safety in Messages feature to the UK,” said Emma Hardy, a spokesperson for the IWF.
“At IWF, we’re concerned about preventing the creation of ‘self-generated’ child sexual abuse images and videos.
“Research shows that the best way to do this is to empower families, and particularly children and young people, to make good decisions.
“This, plus regularly talking about how to use technology as a family are good strategies for keeping safe online.”
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
