Facebook Will Use New Technology to Detect and Remove Child Pornography
- Posted on May 21, 2011 at 12:56am by
Billy Hallowell
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Following a week of some relatively bad press over its anti-Google campaigning, Facebook is receiving some positive coverage. The company announced that it will become the first service to utilize Microsoft’s PhotoDNA, a new technology with the capacity to target and assist in the removal of pornographic images of children. The New York Times has more:
Microsoft says it has refined a technology it created called PhotoDNA to identify the worst of these disturbing images — even if they are cropped or otherwise altered — and cull through large amounts of data quickly and accurately enough to police the world’s largest online services.
Unfortunately, along with the growth of Facebook has come an increase in the number of illegal photographs that are posted through the platform. Facebook users upload 200 million images each day — a monumentally large pool of pictures to comb through. PhotoDNA allows Facebook to reach beyond merely relying on user complaints to get rid of offensive images.
This unique technology can accurately scan through all of these images to automatically detect illegal images. Here’s how it works:
…the software puts the image in black and white and into a standard size. Then it carves the image into blocks and subjects it to an array of measurements. The resulting “signatures” can be provided to online service providers, who can then use them to find these specific illegal images on their systems without possessing them or looking at customers’ private content.
Aside from removing problematic images and helping keep children safe, this innovative technology holds the potential to aid police and other members of the law enforcement community. On Friday, Facebook will hold the “Protecting Kids Online” virtual event, where this initiative will be discussed in detail.
Below, watch Microsoft discuss how PhotoDNA will assist Facebook, among other companies, in creating a safer community for children and families alike:
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maryslittlelamb
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 4:54pmI think it‘s a crying shame the techs who designed this program weren’t able to devote that time to designing something more uplifting for mankind. Criminals are robbing us blind financially, spiritually and, to the extent that we feel unsafe, psychologically. I would support castration for a second offense and death for a third. Forget the rehab and/or counselling, if a person can continue to offend in the face of those odds there’s not much hope for them anyway.The bleeding-heart PC crowd can kiss my foot.
Report Post »BBomber66
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:56pmI found some old photos of when my daughter was 3-yrs old. We were playing with a newly purchased “Water Bug,” a lawn toy sprinkler forkids to romp around. I was going to post it, but then I read about this. My dau was playing in just some cotton underpants, topless. Is all innocence lost, now? Forget the childlike glee, the broad smiles and cringing when the antennae slung cool water on her. Dayam! Now I’m depressed and angry.
Report Post »ransto62
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:28pmThis all good an I’m supporting it, BUT I wish they would get a server that actually worked right…
Report Post »piper60
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:10pmBig Brother Lives. I don’t do porn myself, and don’t like it. But mark my words—–this is the slippery slope. Today porn, tomorrow————————————–.
Report Post »FuturePresident
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 7:42pmKudos to these people, this is a big problem and I’m happy that facebook and Microsoft are trying to do something about it. Kinda weird that they have to scan and fingerprint every single picture uploaded but honestly they are already using facial recognition software on FB so i am fine with this, as long as it doesn’t get abused and used for other stupid **** like copyright infringement.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 3:46pmMy first thought was not, “Oh, great for keeping children safe”, but rather, “I wonder how else they will use that technology~~~~ like locating and rounding up / “keeping off” CHRISTIANS, JEWS, Conservatives……..”
See, they use this spy technique on us for something heinous that we all are against (well, except the sleazy b*(%%$@#$s involved in child porn) to get us to support this action; and, then, they turn it on us.
It’s how “they” work, my friends.
Just a thought.
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 3:34pmThis is a good thing. Thank you Facebook.
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 1:00pmMaybe they can use this software over at TSA. They seem to be in the business of generating pornographic images of all travelers, or groping them up.
Report Post »RightPolitically
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 12:15pmGo for it Facebook. Great decision!
Report Post »PatriotsLikeMe
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 11:34amAdd your comments
Report Post »ShyMan
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 11:30amGood for microsoft and facebook.
Report Post »miles from nowhere
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 11:05amAbout time!
Report Post »Miyegombo Bayartsogt
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:30amMaybe this software can be adapted for other uses even more valuable to society. Maybe this system can check news photos for the size of certain physical features and purge my internet of the disturbing images of that big eared Bolshevik Barock.
Report Post »Charles
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:22amOh those sick sick child porn sickos. Yeah right. The biggest problem by far on facebook is children taking partially nude photos of themselves and their friends and posting them. Its amazing how far society has fallen that children are trying to take ‘sexy’ nude and partially nude pictures of themselves to post on the internet to impress their friends. Parents need to pay very close attention to what their kids are doing on the internet.
Report Post »Southernguy
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:07amI wish they could figure out a way to make the computers of those sick bastar%s fry when they have child porn on them.
Report Post »antirino
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:56amI hope it works better than the virus security facebook uses and there is the hacker problem as well.
Report Post »ares338
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 7:57amI don’t do Facebook but I hope it helps.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 7:52amWhat do you want? An award? Of course you should be doing everything in your power to stop child porn. Now, how about working on the stalkers on there looking for kids to abuse.
Report Post »the_ancient
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 7:07amQue the New stories about Facebook rooming none pornographic family photos from user accounts in 3…2…..1……
Report Post »justice
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 5:15amTell them to work on Google looking in on private settings to get information, or People will stop Face book and the Companie will loose People on the sight.
Report Post »canuck44
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 4:40amWhich probably means no references to Mohammad or “the profit” etc.
Don’t know whether this picks up references to sheep and goat mounting.
Report Post »ares338
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 7:58amGoat Mounting?….as in taxidermy….LOL
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 2:08amIt’s difficult to type with one hand while holding Bucky in my lap with the other.
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 2:21amBucky ???????????????
Report Post »Bob_R_OathKeeper
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 3:51amI call mine Bucky too, LOL! J/K :)
Report Post »Dustyluv
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 6:48amYou both better stay off Facebook now….
Report Post »Mapache
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:15amI hope you have a cover for your keyboard
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 2:06amWell! Now I dson‘t have to worry about something that I didn’t have to worry about!
Report Post »cheezwhiz
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 2:16am@ Showtime
Report Post »cheky mail -e
Robert-CA
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 2:20am@ CHEEZWHIZ
Report Post »What are you up to ? :)
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 2:35amShouldn’t this have been already solved?
This is like a cop saying, well, we figured out how to tell the prostitutes in the brothel from the 2 bit Wh@@s.
This seems to be a problem on Facebook? Wow. Maybe the President should stay off this site until it’s secure.
Report Post »coladude
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 4:40amGlad to see this happening. Hope it works well.
http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos
Report Post »Professional Infidel
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:16amfacebook, what’s that?? “I’d better book, it’s facebook” eeeaaahhhh!!!
Report Post »PatriotsLikeMe
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 11:28amJust an observation–it‘s interesting that this story has but a handful of posts compared to others that have to do with religion or Obama’s latest blunder or who’s announcing their candidacy. It’s still not something we Americans want to look too keenly at. It has to do with our unease about human sexuality, about the evil inherrant in those who would so heinously abuse innocents and our own culpability in how it got to be the epidemic that it is. It’s only by shining the light and talking about it and taking the actions necessary to eridicate it that we can be at peace. Right now, there are children in every state of this great nation being sexually and physically abused. Let’s remember them every day and act according to our consciences.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 12:18pmFacebook already limits conservative speech … why not porn? (would that mean they will limit liberal also!)
Report Post »OLDBIKEFIXER
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 1:58pmI had a facebook page for about a month. There were so many Lefties, straight-up Communists, and Obama worshippers polluting the site that couldn’t handle it. I deleted my page. I don’t want to be associated with people like that.
And who would be stupid enough to post something like child porn on a website that is viewed by millions of people? Even without the new “PhotoDNA” software that facebook is using, the feds & local cops monitor Facebook constantly, looking for “interesting content”. Lots of folks are getting busted for things as minor as traffic violations, or as serious as child porn or drug dealing, because they posted pictures & video of themselves on Facebook & YouTube.
Big Brother really IS watching… believe it!
Report Post »lisapa
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 7:09pm@CATB – how does FB limit conservative speech? I am on FB and have a rather large conservative mouth, so to speak, and they haven’t gotten up to deleting my posts, yet. What should I be aware of?
Report Post »jcannon98188
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 11:24pm@lisapa
It does quite a bit actually.
Example A: The “Capitalism” Page has been deleted a few times by facebook for being ‘innapropiate’
Example B: You know that joke “last year you took my favorite actor” blah blah blah “my favorite president is Barack Obama”? That has been around for years about republicans, but once we took it and changed it to Obama it became ‘Racist’ and Facebook started removing the fan pages for it.
So while it does not blatantly remove conservatives posts, it does attack them.
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