Japan Made an App to Prevent Kids From Sending Their Nudes to Strangers

[Jilly_in_VA]

A Japanese company is making an app that automatically deletes nude photos from children’s phones, in an effort to protect them from sexual exploitation by online predators.

Using AI, the app can recognize photos of bare genitals, lower abdomens, and chests. Once the image is detected and erased, it sends an alert to the minors’ guardians informing them of the photograph.

The app, currently in beta testing, was developed by the startup Smartbooks last month with the help of Fujita Health University in Japan’s central Aichi Prefecture and the prefecture's Nakamura police station.

The Aichi police last year tapped the university for help to combat sexual exploitation of children in the country.

The issue of child sexual abuse drew increased attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Nations Children's Fund and the World Health Organization warned parents that children were spending more time sheltering at home and could be at greater risk of sexual exploitation online. Following such reports, several nations have moved to beef up legislation to combat such abuse.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/z34xxw/japan-child-abuse-app

This might be one of the best bits of news I've read this morning

[Hugin]

1. I wonder if it works on incoming messages?

Dozens of dating apps would die overnight.

[Lovie777]

2. K & R . . .

It's way better news than that Musk musical chip lodged in people's brain.

[haele]

3. Good. Lots of naive teens are harassed and bullied after some peer they wanted to date

Asked them for a nude picture and then passed it around to others just be big at school.
When the kid was in her mid teens (2005-ish), we just had to worry about her emailing private pics she took on her digital camera to whomever her date of the quarter was. Now with smart phones -too much potential for a desperate send without thinking.

Haele