Facebook paid damages to a teenager after a naked photo of her was shared on the site
- Facebook agreed to pay unspecified damages to a teenager whose naked photo was shared on the social network.
- The case is believed to be the first of its kind anywhere in the world.
Facebook has paid damages to a teenager in Northern Ireland after a naked photograph of her taken when she was 14 was shared on the social network several times, The Telegraph reports.
The image was apparently obtained through blackmail, and reportedly shared on a "shame page" multiple times from November 2014 to January 2016. After the teenager sued for negligence, breach of the Britain's Data Protection Act, and misuse of private information, Facebook reportedly tried to get the case dismissed, arguing it always took the image down once it was reported.
But it has since agreed to pay unspecified damages, as well as the teenager's legal costs. The teenager cannot be named for legal reasons.
The case is believed to be the first of its kind anywhere in the world - and has the potential to open the door to further claims against Facebook and other social networks like it over how they police their platforms.
A spokesperson for Facebook did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
In November 2017, the social network tested a new approach to combatting revenge porn - asking users to actively upload their own intimate photos, so the company's software learns what they look like and can automatically flag them if they're shared on its platform.