Facebook is encouraging users to send in their nude photos 

But apparently all for a good reason...

(Image credit: Rex)

But apparently all for a good reason...

Revenge porn is an awful modern phenomenon, involving people (usually a scorned ex partner) publicly sharing naked photos of someone else as an act of revenge. Now a punishable offence, revenge porn is illegal, coming with a hefty prison sentence.

One of the most popular platforms to share revenge porn on? Facebook - with Newsweek estimating that the revenge porn cases from the social media platform amounts to roughly 54,000.

Understandably Facebook isn't happy about it, so in an effort to prevent it from happening in the future, the site is yes, asking for your nude snaps.

Confused? Let us walk you through it.

Facebook is said to be testing a feature that blocks revenge porn on its site, so by asking users to send in their nudes they are hoping that they will be able to block them from being published on the site in future.

The new strategy is being tested in Australia, Canada, America and you guessed it, the United Kingdom, but how does it work?

The strategy involves individuals who have shared naked photos with ex partners sending the said photos to Facebook. The social media platform will then 'hash' the photos - making a unique digital fingerprint for each specific image which will block any uploading of the image to the platform in the future.

The idea has unsurprisingly prompted a mixed reaction with a lot of people feeling sceptical about sending in their nudes.

What do you do if you want to try the strategy?

UK users must first fill in an online form, explaining their situations and concerns. You will then be asked to send the photo that you are concerned about to yourself on Facebook Messenger. A special analyst will reportedly then 'hash' the image for you, and then delete it within seven days, after ensuring the policy has been enforced.

A step towards the end of revenge porn? We'll let you decide.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.