Apple’s Communication Safety feature for children is being rolled out to six more countries. Apple’s Communication Safety is an opt-in feature in the Messages app across its platforms and it is designed to alert children when they receive or send pictures that contain nudity.
In the coming weeks, the safety feature will be expanded to the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Japan, South Korea and Brazil, says a report by MacRumors.
According to the tech giant, once the feature is enabled, pictures containing nudity are blurred and the children will be warned and presented with helpful resources. Moreover, children will also have the option to message someone they trust for help if they want. Photos are only scanned on-device, keeping messages end-to-end encrypted and avoiding Apple from seeing any of the data.
In 2021, the US was the only country where Apple’s Communication Safety feature was made available. However, a few months later, it was also made available in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and now, the feature will be expanded to more countries globally.
Also, it has been expanded further to include France, Germany, Italy and Spain, the report noted.
To recall, marking Safer Internet Day, Apple recently highlighted the company’s software features and tools designed to protect children online, such as Communication Safety and Screen Time. The feature for the Messages application provides warnings and resources on a child’s device if they receive or try to send photos containing nudity, the tech giant announced in a blog post earlier this month.
“At Apple, our goal is to provide people with technology that not only improves and enriches their lives, but also helps them stay safe online,” Erik Neuenschwander, Director of User Privacy, Apple, had said.
The iPhone maker is also sharing free educational sessions online and in Apple Store locations, to help “parents, guardians, teachers and child safety advocates get the most out of the family-friendly safety tools across Apple devices”. On the App Store, Apple will highlight applications that create even more ways to encourage child safety, privacy and parental controls.