Kik statement
“We take online safety very seriously, and we’re constantly assessing and improving our trust and safety measures.
“There are two ways we do this. One is through technology and constant improvements to the product itself. We use services like Microsoft PhotoDNA to moderate profile pictures, which allows us to identify and then cancel accounts for people who break our terms of service. And we believe it is possible to both protect user privacy and get rid of bad actors on our platform, using a combination of technology and human effort to remove users who violate our terms of service or harass other users.
“The other is through education and partnerships with organizations that help parents and their kids understand the challenges of today’s online landscape and how to avoid bad situations. For years, we’ve had teams dedicated to this, and we will continue to invest in those types of tools, provide resources to parents, and strengthen relationships with law enforcement and safety-focused organizations.
“This is a priority for us. We want all users to be safe on Kik, and we will continue to invest to ensure Kik is a safe, positive and productive place for our users to interact.”
More: “48 Hours” investigates the murder of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell and the hidden dangers of meeting strangers online