Google Messages Can Now Censor Any NSFW Images You Receive
Google’s new “Sensitive Content Warnings” setting is now available to all Google Messages users. As reported by 9to5Google , Sensitive Content Warnings can detect images that contain nudity and blur the image before opening it. This allows you to make your own decision about whether to view the image, eliminating the risk of unauthorized viewing of nude images.
When you open an image that Google has blurred, you have several options. You can open a page of Google’s resources to learn why Google blurs images this way; block the number of the contact who sent you the image; leave a message; or resolve the issue with the image. If you choose the latter, click Next, and then choose No, don’t view it or Yes, view it.
This feature will also warn you if you try to send an image that contains nudity. According to the Sensitive Content Warnings settings, if you try to send someone an image that contains nudity, Google Messages will warn you “about the risks.” You’ll need to manually confirm that you want to send the image.
Sensitive content warnings are completely private, at least according to Google. I wouldn’t blame you for being curious about how this feature works. Sure, its intentions are noble, but you’d think that images would need to be sent to an external site to check for nudity. In that case, this feature would represent a serious breach of privacy. However, Google says that all photo detection happens locally on your device. Neither the image itself nor any of your conversations are viewed by Google or sent to the cloud for processing: your phone or tablet can do the necessary processes to determine whether an image contains nudity.
The problem is that this feature won’t be enabled by default if you’re over 18. To use it, you’ll need to enable it yourself. To find this option, open your Google Messages settings , then Security & Privacy > Manage sensitive content warnings . Here, tap the toggle next to Google Messages warnings.