In the digital age, many of our initial conversations take place online. Whether it's a professional contact on LinkedIn, making a new friend on social media, or initiating a romantic conversation on a dating app- online platforms have enabled us not only to stay connected but also to create entirely new relationships. However, contacting people online can entail certain risks. Bad actors often use the anonymity behind digital interactions to their advantage.


One type of sexual exploitation especially prevalent on social media and dating platforms is cyberflashing. Cyberflashing is the act of sending unsolicited intimate content to another person without their consent. The format of the content can be anything from a still image, a video or a gif. The potential impact of this type of digital exploitation is frequently underestimated.

To ensure that people's experiences are safe while socialising online we have to develop in-app tools, resources and safety measures that protect digital users. Bumble, the women-first dating and social networking app is one of the companies that has decided to proactively tackle this issue on their platform. We spoke to Payton Iheme, Vice President of Global Public Policy to learn more about Bumble's approach to digital safety on their platform and beyond.

The Beginning Stages

In 2018, a Bumble survey revealed a growing concern. A shocking number of Bumble's community reported they had experienced cyberflashing. While anyone can be targeted by a cyberflashing attack, Payton explained that this type of digital exploitation disproportionately affects women. Research conducted by Bumble shows that nearly half of the surveyed women aged 18 to 24 have received a sexual photo they didn’t ask for in the last year alone.

The impact can be especially devastating for victims and survivors of previous sexual harassment or abuse, pointed out Payton. "When we realised this was happening on our platform, we figured we could report it to law enforcement but quickly found out that there were no laws in place covering this type of digital abuse," she shared. The absence of an existing legal framework inspired Bumble to take things into its own hands. "That really set us in motion on figuring out how we can help mitigate cyberflashing issues".

Bumble's Policy work

Realising that cyberflashing was falling under the radar motivated Bumble to start the conversation and move the issue into the public sphere. Striving to ensure that laws appropriately reflect the gravity of this digital abuse, Bumble began locally advocating for policy changes. Collaboration between Bumble and local policymakers enabled the prohibition of the offence in the state of Texas in 2019. Backed by Bumble, Virginia and California followed in 2022, but so far these states are the only ones in the US that have legally addressed this issue. Payton emphasised that Bumble continues to advocate for the legal recognition of cyberflashing, not only in America but in other countries around the globe. Only last year, Bumble's campaign "#DigitalFlashingIsFlashing" led the UK to include the criminalisation of cyberflashing in their Safety Bill.

Policy work is crucial in tackling digital abuse and exploitation, but it also takes time. Time, which bad actors can use to target vulnerable people online. This is when Bumble realised, that besides policy changes, an innovative industry solution was needed.

The 'Private Detector'

In 2019, Bumble decided to develop a tool that would help keep all members on their platform safe, said Payton. “We looked inward and launched the Private Detector, our AI feature that captures and alerts people when a nude image has been sent." This AI tool protects users by detecting and automatically blurring any lewd image that is sent on the platform. The user then has the option to either accept or decline to see the image and can immediately report the person if the image was sent non-consensually.

Bumble, according to Payton, was developed with a women-first approach that prioritises women's safety and equality within the dating sphere. Tackling a reoccurring safety issue such as cyberflashing was therefore a natural part of facilitating safer experiences for everyone on the app. But only protecting people on Bumble was not enough, shared our Interviewee. Bumble wanted to enable the wider tech community to follow its lead, which led them to make a version of the Private Detector feature available as open-source code.

Standing With Survivors

Making the tool available as open-source code in October 2022 is only one step of many for Bumble in being an outspoken advocate for digital safety. Communicating loudly and openly about this digital exploration was an important step in demonstrating that Bumble stands with survivors, instead of just behind them, shared Payton. "Bumble wanted to be public about this subject, to put out a beacon for survivors."

Goals for the Future?

Looking ahead, Bumble will continue its fight for digital safety and equality by following a few different paths: Advocating on a range of online and offline harms surrounding non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), continuing to support the prohibiting of cyberflashing around the world, and innovating helpful tools and campaigns to keep people safe online.

Now, that the Private Detector software is available as open-source code, Bumble hopes to inspire others to start moving at a quicker pace in integrating safeguarding tools. Bumble wants to ensure that all digital users are able to take control of their experiences online. Developing technology that organisations, governments, advocates, and platforms can utilise to stay proactive and protect their users shows the true value of knowledge-sharing and collaboration.

Going forward, Payton Iheme emphasised Bumble will continue to support states and countries looking to realise legislative changes around cyberflashing. On their website, Bumble provides resources on how users can help enact change in their state by contacting local legislators and requesting the legislation to be updated.


Find out more about Bumble's work within the Trust and Safety Space and access the open-source code for the Private Detector here.