Microsoft has intensified its fight against ‘revenge porn’ by introducing a new reporting web page where victims can directly request the company to take down porn links.
Revenge porn is a new phenomenon, where sexually explicit images and videos of intimate moments of partners are posted in porn websites, once the relationship turns sour.
The software giant joins Google, Reddit and Twitter that have taken up similar measures to protect the privacy of the victims.
Microsoft Chief Online Safety Officer Jacqueline Beauchere said: "Unfortunately, revenge porn is on the rise across the globe.
"It can damage nearly every aspect of a victim’s life: relationships, career, social activities. In the most severe and tragic cases, it has even led to suicide."
The company said that after receiving a notification from the victim, it would remove photos and videos from its search engine Bing, and take away access to the content when it is shared via OneDrive or Xbox Live.
Jacqueline added: "Clearly, this reporting mechanism is but one small step in a growing and much-needed effort across the public and private sectors to address the problem.
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"It’s important to remember, for example, that removing links in search results to content hosted elsewhere online doesn’t actually remove the content from the Internet – victims still need stronger protections across the Web and around the world."
The service is presently available only in English and Microsoft plans to expand it to other languages soon.
