Facebook Also Uses PhotoDNA To Prowl For Illicit Images

Google and Microsoft have both recently tipped off the police to illegal materials in users' accounts. Facebook has confirmed that it also keeps an eye on users' images, so to speak, in order to scan for "explicit photos of children." This is done using PhotoDNA.

Facebook confirmed this information via a spokesperson to the folks at Business Insider, saying, "There is no place for child exploitative content on Facebook. We use PhotoDNA to check that each image which is uploaded to our site is not a known child abuse image."

The spokesperson went on to say that if the image pulls up a match, it won't be uploaded to the social networking website, and the account that tried to upload it will be disabled. Facebook will then flag the content "to NCMEC" to carry on a further investigation.

This comes after recent instances of Google and Microsoft informing police of illegal content. Microsoft recently let law enforcement in PA know about illegal content on a user's OneDrive, and Google recently reported a Gmail user for images discovered in his email account.

SOURCE: Business Insider