The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has produced a new tool that helps teens remove nude images from the internet. Over the years, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has been receiving reports that minor-attracted people have been exploiting teens by exposing their nude images online.
The new tool launched by NCMEC called Take it Down will be used by teens to remove sensitive images they have on the internet. Before NCMEC succeeded in creating this tool, they had a database used to stop the spread of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). But it was not as effective as the newly created tool. NCMEC launched this tool at the end of last year, and hundreds of teens are already using it to remove their nude images from the internet.
The launch of the new tool is a message for teens who are still ashamed of removing their nude images from the internet. From Take it Down, it said, "You can't go back and unsend, but we can help you move forward,” Portnoy said—without feeling ashamed for any role you possibly played in sharing images. Teens “don't have to provide any other information if they don't want to. It's as simple as saying, ‘hey, I think this thing is out there, it can be really damaging to me, please, please take it down."
The tool is a huge innovation for those suffering from exploitation by minor-attracted people. Take it Down is very proactive and can even stop uploading those images on specific platforms. So, the owners of these nude images can prevent the exploiters from uploading those images on the internet. With the rate at which Take it Down is going, it would be beneficial to stop the future exploitation of many teens.
Social media Platforms Collaborate with NCMEC
Many social media platforms are collaborating with NCMEC to reduce the upload of teen nude images on their platform. Meta was one of the first companies that collaborated with NCMEC to make this policy on their platform.
A press statement they made immediately after the collaboration said, "Today, we’re announcing that Instagram and Facebook are founding members of Take It Down — a new platform by NCMEC to help prevent young people’s intimate images from being posted online in the future. Having a personal intimate image shared with others can be scary and overwhelming, especially for young people. It can feel even worse when someone tries to use those images as a threat for additional images, sexual contact or money — a crime known as sextortion."
"Take It Down was designed with Meta’s financial support. We are working with NCMEC to promote Take It Down across our platforms, in addition to integrating it into Facebook and Instagram so people can easily access it when reporting potentially violating content," they added.
Meta is not the only social media company collaborating with NCMEC to remove nude of teens from the internet. OnlyFans Chief Strategy and Operations Officer Keily Blair supported the movement from NCMEC. The company said they would ensure children's content is not posted on their platform. Other platforms, such as Pornhub and Yubo, are collaborating with NCMEC to stop the spread of child nude.