Hily, a dating application boasting 39 million users worldwide, has launched a feature aimed at preventing unwanted explicit communications and cyberflashing, which refers to the act of sending non-consensual nude images. The “Consent Guard” utilizes machine-learning algorithms and tailored models to identify certain words in messages and features in images. When explicit content is detected, Hily alerts the user that their match intends to send explicit messages, giving them the option to consent or refuse.

The sender is prompted to obtain one-click consent. Without consent, the explicit content will not be transmitted. If the prompt is overlooked, the chat continues normally. Each user is allowed to send a maximum of three consent requests per conversation, and individuals can modify their consent preferences anytime, ranging from hot to chill to “not tonight, please.”

Hily collaborated with sexologist and sex educator Dr. Mindy DeSeta to develop Consent Guard, who contributed expertise on sexual consent and the culture of harassment. By 2024, research from YouGov indicates that over a third of women under 40 have received unsolicited sexual images from non-partners. Other dating platforms, such as Bumble, have also tackled this issue through features like the Private Detector, an AI that identifies nude images.

Hily’s Consent Guard will take the place of the former Explicit Filter feature, which had blurred images for review. “Unsolicited pictures have never really been effective: they’re mainly just off-putting,” DeSeta remarked in the press release. “Hily’s new Consent Guard feature empowers your sexuality by granting you authority over how you date, what you share, and how adventurous you want to be. Rather than an explicit image emerging at an inappropriate time, envision getting a notification that someone is interested in heating things up. That’s mental foreplay!”