Google SMS app censors nude images, but not videos
Android acts as a personal censor: nude images in Google's SMS app Messages are blurred on request.
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Blurred nude images and warnings about such images are new features in Messages, Google's SMS app for Android phones. They are being rolled out with the latest update of the application. Google emphasizes that no content is uploaded; the necessary image recognition therefore takes place exclusively on the respective device itself.
The automatic warnings are issued both on receipt and before sending or forwarding relevant still images. If a warning is issued about naked skin in a received text message, Messages also offers to add the sender to the blacklist. According to Google, the filter does not work for videos.
Apple users have been familiar with this controversial function for years. In mid-2023, Apple extended a filter that was initially used in the iMessage messaging app to other parts of the operating system and videos.
SafetyCore can be deleted
The new filter function is only available when Messages is logged into a Google account. Adults who wish to use the filter must activate it in the Messages app settings. For young people without parental supervision (13 to 17 years), the filter is automatically switched on, but can be switched off by the user. Younger users under parental supervision do not have this option, where the supervisor has control via the Family Link application.
Videos by heise
An Android app called SafetyCore (Android 9 and higher), which does not have a user interface that can be called up, is responsible for detecting nude images. According to tests by the editorial team, SafetyCore can be easily deleted via the Android settings to free up storage space. Unsurprisingly, Messages then refuses to activate the nude image filter. Of course, Android users can also use other SMS programs; Google's Messages app is just one of many options. The data company points out that its algorithm is not necessarily flawless. It may sometimes allow nude images to pass undetected or, conversely, erroneously blur prudery-compliant images and warn against them.
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