I/O
Can We Automate the Dick Pics Away?
Unsolicited images of genitalia are a persistent harassment problem on platforms like Twitter. A.I. could actually be a solution
As a woman on the internet — and, more to the point, as a woman whose job necessitates keeping her direct messages open for pitches, tips, and chats with potential sources — I’m well acquainted with a certain sort of unsolicited message. On Twitter, my “message requests” inbox is littered with “Hi”s and overly personal queries; on occasion, the men messaging me will get even bolder, sending over images as well.
Yes, I am talking about unsolicited dick pics. Although reasonable people might disagree about the finer points of what constitutes online harassment, pretty much everyone would concur that sending someone a picture of a penis without their consent is, at least, a major faux pas, if not outright abuse. Yet I, and many other women, are subjected to these images fairly regularly — just last week, a total stranger sent me an unsolicited still of a blowjob from the gay porn site Broke Straight Boys.
Ideally, men on the internet would know not to do this — but that seems unlikely. So given advances in automated content moderation, why haven’t we figured out a technological solution to…
