NEW DELHI: Facebook has introduced new security features for women using the social media platform in India, including the ability to prevent strangers from downloading their profile pictures, the company said on Thursday.

Research by the social media giant found that some Indian women were reluctant to show their faces in their profile pictures, fearing the images could be misused. Many prominent female Indian actors, journalists and public figures have reported receiving rape threats or their images misused.

In response, Facebook teamed up with local activists to develop two tools that offer women greater control over their profiles and “help keep them safe online”, wrote product manager Aarati Soman on the company’s blog.

The first safeguard — identified by a small shield and blue border on the image — prevents strangers from downloading, sharing or tagging themselves in someone else’s profile picture, or taking a screen shot of the image. The second overlays an additional design on the image that research shows dissuades people from making a copy of the image, Soman added.

Paradoxically, India’s craze for taking selfies has reached dangerous heights. In 2016, the country had more selfie-related deaths than anywhere else in the world. Users are willing to take risks, such as standing in front of an oncoming train, or at the edge of cliffs, for flattering photos. But sharing those pictures online? Too risky, Indians think.

Facebook has 184 million users in India, the second highest number in the world, after the US. As India builds its internet infrastructure through flagship “Digital India” schemes under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development-focused government, tech giants are racing to connect with the “next billion” online users.

Cheap smartphones have made the internet accessible even in rural parts of the country where basic infrastructure, such as for water and sanitation, are lacking.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2017