Profile pictures are the window to our Facebook profiles. They not only help us in connecting with our family and friends but also help in establishing connections. Unfortunately, profile pictures are one of the most misused features of our profiles as anyone (even those who are not in our friend list) can download them easily. And if you happen to be a woman living in India, the consequences sometimes can be catastrophic.
Facebook recognises this threat and so to safeguard women (and also men) from the online abuse, the social media giant has released a set of security tools in India giving people more control over their profile pictures.
“Profile pictures are an important part of building community on Facebook because they help people find friends and create meaningful connections. But not everyone feels safe adding a profile picture. In our research with people and safety organisations in India, we’ve heard that 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,” Facebook project manager Aarati Soman wrote in a blog post.
Starting today, people in India will start seeing a guide to adding an option profile picture. Here’s what will happen once you add this guard:
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– People won’t be able to share, download or send your profile picture in a message on Facebook
– People who are not in your friend list won’t be able to tag anyone, including themselves, in your profile picture on Facebook
– Facebook will also display a blue border and a shield on your profile picture to indicate that it is being protected by the guard.
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Additionally, the social media giant has partnered with an illustrator Jessica Singh to create designs for people to add to their profile pictures. Profile pictures with these designs can be directly reported to the Facebook, in case someone suspects that the image has been misused.
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