Facebook introduces new feature in Pakistan to curb online abuse

Social media giant Facebook has recently launched their latest feature in Pakistan, with the aim to curb online abuse among its users in the country.

The company’s latest tool will give more control to users over their profile pictures. A user will receive a pop notification below their profile pictures. A small icon at the end of the picture will turn on the feature when clicked. A blue border and shield would appear around the profile picture.

This privacy tool was launched in India last year and now the company is expanding it to other countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Egypt, Tech Juice reported.

Facebook introduces new features in Pakistan

Not only will the ‘profile picture guard’ disable the downloading or sharing of your profile picture, but will also prevent a person to take screenshot of the picture. However, for now this is only available for Android users.

“Statistics from our Cyber Harassment Helpline show that women are the most vulnerable when it comes to online safety in Pakistan. From fake profiles to doctored images, women face very real risks online,” says Digital Rights Foundation president Nighat Dad.

According to Cyber Harassment Helpline: One-Year Report, the helpline had received 1,551 complaint calls from December 1, 2016 to November 30, 2017. Out of these, 67% of the calls were by women. The report added that 45% of callers experienced harassment over Facebook.

Other than the newly launched picture privacy feature, Facebook has unfolded few other features, some of which are exclusively for its users in Pakistan. Marking yourself safe during a natural disaster and registering yourself for blood donation are some of the features made available by Facebook.