New iPhone update blurs nude photos sent to or by children in massive crackdown on abuse

APPLE updates iPhone with a special filter to prevent children from sending or receiving nude photos.

It’s an attempt to stop child molesters from targeting teenagers – and to stop minors from sharing exploitative images of themselves.

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The major update is expected to arrive in the coming weeks, according to The Sun.

It launched as a feature in the US late last year but is now coming to the UK.

That iPhone detects when an underage user tries to send or receive photos that contain nudity.

Apple will immediately blur any nude image received from a child and block it from view.

Resources for kids and parents are shown — and teens are reassured it’s okay not to look at the photo.

If a child tries to send an explicit photo, they will be warned against it.

And they also have the option to ask someone for help if they wish.

All messages are analyzed on device to determine if they contain nudity.

That means Apple can’t see it itself – and won’t know if a device has detected nudity.

Apple also doesn’t get access to the offending message to improve privacy regarding potential false positives.

The feature is disabled by default but can be enabled by parents.

It is only available on iOS for accounts set up as families in iCloud.

The warnings are only shown to children, which can then be shown to parents if the child so desires.

However, no notifications are sent to parents or anyone else.

The upcoming iPhone update will also dish out child safety guides through Siri, Spotlight, and Safari Search.

An example is users asking Siri how to report child exploitation.

You will be directed to certain UK authorities where a report can be made.

And the iPhone even intervenes when a user searches for searches 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 via an iPhone update soon.

And US users can access these features today.

The Internet Watch Foundation hailed the update as a win for protecting children online.

“We are pleased that Apple is extending messaging security to the UK,” said Emma Hardy, a spokeswoman for the IMF.

“At the IWF, we are concerned to prevent the creation of ‘homemade’ images and videos of child sexual abuse.

“Research shows that the best way to do this is to empower families, and especially children and young people, to make good choices.

“This, plus talking regularly about using technology as a family, are good strategies for staying safe online.”

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