New Tool Fights Revenge Porn Online

StopNCII, a digital safety tool, is gaining traction as cases of sextortion and image‑based abuse climb worldwide, including a sharp rise in Ghana.

How the tool works

The system lets adults create a secure digital fingerprint of intimate photos or videos on their own devices. It uses perceptual hashing, which generates a unique signature without uploading the actual content. Only the hash is sent to participating platforms, meaning the original file never leaves the user’s phone or computer.

After generating a hash, users receive a case number and a PIN that lets them monitor or withdraw the case later. If a platform that has joined the initiative detects a matching hash during an upload attempt, the content can be blocked before it spreads.

Support from major tech companies

StopNCII is backed by a coalition that includes Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, X, Snap, Microsoft Bing and OnlyFans. By late 2025, the platform had been used to protect roughly 2 million images across more than 785 000 cases worldwide, according to the UK‑based charity South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL), which launched the service in 2021.

Regulators such as the UK’s Ofcom and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime have highlighted it as a leading example of proactive prevention of non‑consensual intimate image abuse.

Rising threats in Ghana

Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority (CSA) reports a steep increase in sextortion‑related financial losses between early 2024 and early 2025. From January to April 2024, the CSA recorded 155 cases with losses totaling GH¢ 103 663. The same period in 2025 saw losses climb to GH¢ 499 044, indicating the growing economic and psychological toll of online extortion.

Cybercriminals often employ fake social‑media profiles, encrypted messaging apps and romance‑based scams to coax victims into sharing intimate images or participating in explicit video calls. After secretly recording the material, perpetrators demand ransom payments—usually via mobile‑money services—while threatening public distribution.

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CSA officials note that paying a ransom rarely guarantees deletion of the content, and many victims face repeated demands even after complying.

For people living under the constant threat of blackmail, having a way to stop an image before it ever appears online can feel like a small but vital shield. It means the difference between a night of silence and a morning of panic, especially when the stakes involve personal reputation and financial stability.

Limitations and impact

The tool cannot remove images from platforms that have not joined the initiative, but it can markedly lower the chance that protected content spreads across many of the world’s largest social‑media and content‑sharing networks. Digital‑safety experts stress that prevention is more effective than remediation in this context.

The system’s privacy‑preserving design—sending only a hash, not the actual file—addresses concerns about victim exposure during reporting. This contrasts with traditional reporting mechanisms that require victims to submit the intimate content for review, potentially compounding trauma.

As sextortion tactics become more sophisticated, the free, privacy‑focused approach of the service offers a rare preventive defence. Its adoption by major tech firms suggests a growing willingness to tackle image‑based abuse before it reaches a broader audience.

Awareness is essential.