PCW Warns Women and Girls Against Nude Challenges, Urges Cyber Crime Units of NBI and PNP to Crackdown Videos Circulating Online

The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) warns women and girls against the Invisible Challenge in the mobile application Tiktok, which gained more popularity with more people spending time online following the enhanced community quarantine.

The Invisible Challenge involves a filter on TikTok that makes the user “invisible” by waving their hand against the camera. The filter gives the user a false notion that they will not be seen, thus prompting them to perform the dare of undressing in front of the camera. However, the said feature is just a filter that turns the subject into a grey gelatin-like blob.

Thus, what some people might think as harmless fun might expose them to the dangers of having their naked videos and images circulating online.

First, there is already a great risk in digitally recording oneself naked; more so with uploading such online or through mobile applications. With technology nowadays and with many internet and tech-savvy people, the digital file of your naked body, even with a filter, might be edited or decoded.

Second, there are instances when the filter fails to activate properly or where some users remove their clothes prior to filter initiation, thus exposing the user’s naked body in their videos without the filter.

As of this writing, there are compilations of Tiktok Invisible Challenge fail videos making rounds online and these are publicly accessible, easily duplicated, and shared.

Thus, the PCW calls on women and girls to be vigilant and protect yourselves from being tricked into doing online challenges that put you at risk of being victims of sexual predators. Choose activities where you can have fun acting, dancing, singing, and other stuff, as long as it does not rob you of your authority over yourself and your body.

We also advise parents and guardians to monitor their children. Talk with them about the perils of doing internet challenges, about taking care of their body, and about navigating the online world with caution.

Lastly, we urge the National Bureau of Investigation Cybercrime Division and the Anti-Cybercrime Group of the Philippine National Police to motu propio act on the proliferation of such videos online by stopping and holding accountable those who clearly violate existing laws by preying on and videos of unsuspecting individuals, making fun and circulating such online.