The new tools are designed to give people more control over their experience and help keep them safe online. PHOTO: Facebook
Some of you might remember the curious of case of Madhu Shah’s Facebook profiles.
The name and picture of an Indian woman was used on hundreds of profiles on Facebook, prompting everyone to ask the inevitable questions; who is Madhu Shah?
[fbpost link="https://www.facebook.com/PawanManghnani/posts/10153753294109405"]
The accounts were so widespread and popular that if you weren't friends with one then some of your acquaintances almost certainly would have been. It all came to limelight after different pages started sharing picture of the mysterious profiles, warning people of the possible scam.
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One of many things that Madhu Shah saga highlighted was how easy it is for anyone to impersonate you in online space. Identity theft, especially using one’s profile picture to create a fake profile on the biggest social media network, has been a longstanding issue.
Finally, Facebook is introducing measures to check the misuse of people’s profile photos. Starting from India, where the problem of online misuse of pictures is rampant, Facebook is giving people more control over their profile pictures.
“We are piloting new tools that give people in India more control over who can download and share their profile pictures. In addition, we’re exploring ways people can more easily add designs to profile pictures, which our research has shown helpful in deterring misuse,” read a statement published by the social media giant.
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According to a research conducted in India by Facebook, “some women choose not to share profile pictures that include their faces anywhere on the internet because they’re concerned about what may happen to their photos.”
The new tools are designed to give people more control over their experience and help keep them safe online. From now on, other people will no longer be able to download, share or send your profile picture in a message on Facebook while people you’re not friends with on Facebook won’t be able to tag anyone, including themselves, in your profile picture.
Further, Facebook will also prevent people from taking a screenshot of your profile picture on Facebook. However, this feature is currently available only on Android devices.
In addition to this, a blue border and shield around profile picture will also be shown as a visual cue of protection.
How successful will be Facebook’s attempt at stemming the spread of fake profiles and misuse of peoples’ profile pictures, only time will tell.
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