Microsoft cracks down on revenge porn

Microsoft has given power to victims of revenge porn by allowing them to remove sexually explicit content of themselves from its services. The term “revenge porn” refers to uploading explicit images of a person’s ex-partner in an attempt to damage their reputation or embarrass them. Users can submit an online support form to report this content, including related police reports and restraining orders.

Microsoft claims they will remove all related content from OneDrive, Xbox Live, and Bing search results. In a blog post on Monday, Microsoft’s chief online safety officer, Jacqueline Beauchere, explained, “We want to help put victims back in control of their images and their privacy.”

Revenge porn has become more rampant than ever with the increasing pervasiveness of social media and content sharing tools. Microsoft did not explain how Xbox Live was being used to contribute to this problem.

Microsoft is following suit with other major companies making changes to combat this malicious practice. Twitter banned it in March and Google also delisted these results from search results. “Clearly, this reporting mechanism is but one small step in a growing and much-needed effort across the public and private sectors to address the problem.”