Introducing SafeBlur: A Safety Tool That Lets You Do You!

Introducing SafeBlur: A Safety Tool That Lets You Do You!

Safety? Check! Empowering users? Check! SafeBlur is about both Internet safety and user choice, and those values are at the forefront of our work here at Yubo. We’ve all heard of the importance of online safety, but the concept of user agency is gaining more and more traction today. Allowing freedom without encouraging misuse helps users to feel in control of their online environment, so this should not be overlooked when creating safety tools. Navigating the balance between user safety and user choice can sometimes be complex, but here at Yubo we’re dedicated to innovation that does just that. This is why we have been working on a new safety feature called SafeBlur. The goal of this feature is to mitigate potential triggers and discomfort you could encounter when chatting, while giving you an option to see as much — or as little — as you'd like. It is also designed to prevent instances of sexual harassment – an issue Yubo takes very seriously.

Of course, blocking and muting have long been staple safety measures across the social media world, but we felt that a new approach was necessary to proactively prevent our users from seeing inappropriate content. We developed SafeBlur in 2024 in response to in-depth polling conducted on Yubo that highlighted the need for a direct message (DM) content moderation tool. This request was common across different age and gender user groups, and articulated an opportunity to make one-on-one conversations safer.

Sacha Lazimi, Yubo co-founder and CEO commented on the project: “SafeBlur was created in response to insights we gathered through rigorous data analysis and user feedback, reflecting our proactive approach to solving key challenges in trust and safety for social platforms. We’re proud to offer a solution that protects users and maintains the privacy they expect.”

This feature is our latest contribution to a better, safer Internet. Previously, we gave our users the option to exclude specific words through our Muted Words feature. SafeBlur builds on this, making avoiding toxicity online even easier. You don’t have to spend your time choosing words you would like to avoid – SafeBlur does it for you by blurring inappropriate or offensive messages without you having to do any the work.

What is SafeBlur?

SafeBlur is designed to keep your online interactions safe and upset-free. It scans your direct messages – which are higher-risk content compared to livestreams or live chat – and blurs out any inappropriate or offensive messages. This way you can feel protected when chatting one-on-one, and the private messages you receive are subjected to the same scrutiny as all other kinds of online content. However, to give you a bigger say in the kind of content you see, you will be able to turn the feature off as well as decide to unblur any messages you’re interested in reading even when SafeBlur is on. SafeBlur will also prompt you to report any inappropriate messages, which helps promote safety and accountability.

What is the technology behind SafeBlur?

SafeBlur is an AI-powered tool, allowing us to scan a large volume of text messages daily. The offending content can be escalated to our human moderation team, but the bulk of it will be screened out by AI, making sure you can successfully avoid any inappropriate or toxic messages. SafeBlur works in many languages, helping protect our users in the 140 countries where Yubo is active.

So, how do I use it?

Using SafeBlur is really simple – whenever you receive a questionable direct message for the first time, we will blur it and send you a pop-up alert, asking if you want to keep the feature enabled. If opted out, SafeBlur will be turned off and won’t affect your experience on the app in any way, unless you decide to turn it back on again. With SafeBlur enabled, you will still be able to see the blurred text if you tap on it, and you will also get the chance to report it immediately to our human moderation team if you’d like. What if you decided against enabling SafeBlur, but changed your mind after a while? This can be easily fixed. Simply go to your profile and tap on Settings, then Safety and Privacy, and finally, toggle on SafeBlur. Alternatively, if you have enabled it initially, but want it disabled later, you can always do so by following the same steps.

What’s next?

We’re planning to use the feedback we receive to fine tune SafeBlur to ensure user satisfaction. Dedicated to user safety, Yubo will be taking further steps to remain a vocal innovator in the field of online safety technology.

Lastly, if you were ever harassed online, check this helpful guide on dealing with harassment and bullying. It’s in our power to make the Internet a better place, and here at Yubo, we will continue to advocate for user safety and empowerment through technology.

So whether you choose to protect yourself as much as possible or to keep those convos unfiltered, we’re here to give you the experience you choose! You can check out the SafeBlur feature now by going on Yubo and enabling it in the Settings. Have fun!