(Paris) Snapchat, a popular video and photo-sharing application for young people, announced a series of anti-drug initiatives on its platform on Thursday, including improved detection and removal of content drug-related.
The platform will strengthen “the team that responds to requests from the police and other authorities on issues related to illegal content,” said Snapchat in a statement.
To improve the detection and removal of drug-related content, Snapchat combines several means available, in particular through artificial intelligence, human moderation and user reports.
As part of prevention, Snapchat announces the establishment of a portal, called “Heads Up”, aimed at “sensitizing users on the risks associated with drugs and addictions”.
Users will be able to find there “verified information from the interministerial mission for the fight against drugs and addictive behavior (MILDECA), with in particular a series of videos around the risks associated with the consumption of cannabis, MDMA or the misuse of the drug. nitrous oxide ”, specifies the platform.
“The measures announced today are part of a comprehensive approach to the fight against illicit substance trafficking, ranging from the development of proactive tools to detect and remove drug-related content and accounts, to close collaboration with the authorities, ”said Sarah Bouchahoua, public affairs manager for France at Snap Inc., in a press release.
Thanks to social networks like Snapchat or Instagram and encrypted messaging like Signal or Telegram, receiving narcotics at home has become child’s play, and the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the phenomenon.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin publicly criticized Snapchat at the end of May, calling on it to “take responsibility” to “stop being the social network for drugs”.