Something as seemingly mundane as uploading a photo and setting it as your profile pic on Facebook can actually be a source of discomfort and even danger for some cultures and countries. Facebook has come up with some tools, available in India for now, that will let people have more control over their profile pictures and putting up protective layers to avoid misuse and abuse by other people. They are also studying if such a tool can actually be useful in other countries and territories as well.
While Profile Pictures are of course important in building a community and interacting with friends and even strangers, not everyone feels safe about having their picture out there. In India in particular, some women have chosen not to share profile pictures that include their faces because they are afraid that some people may download it and misuse it for nefarious purposes. So Facebook worked with Indian safety organizations to create tools that will give people more control over their profile.
When you add the “guard” to your profile picture, people will no longer be able to download, share, or send your profile picture in a message. For Android devices, they won’t even be able to take a screenshot of your photo. If you’re not friends with someone on Facebook, they can’t tag themselves or other people in your profile photo. A blue border and shield will also be placed around your photo if you choose to activate this protection.
Facebook has also partnered with an illustrator named Jessica Singh to create designs that people can put on their profile picture as an extra design layer to deter copying and misuse. Reporting is also an important part in this campaign. If you suspect that someone is misusing a photo that has this extra layer. This is only available in India for now, but they plan to expand to other countries soon.
SOURCE: Facebook
