‘Digital condoms’ now exist and people are confused

It's clear the rate of development when it comes to the modern age of technology is only getting speedier and speedier.

From the advent of social media and Uber all the way through to dating apps and artificial intelligence - it's clear the way we use tech in our everyday lives is always evolving.

And the latest buzz online is all about what is being dubbed a 'digital condom' and unsurprisingly, people are beyond confused with what on earth they actually are and how on earth they work.

A new 'digital condom' has been launched by German company, Billy Boy (Studio4 / Getty Images)

OK, so by now I'd hope we're all well aware of what a physical condom is and how it works.

Well, this new 'digital condom' has a similar idea - ensuring that consenting partners can practise safe sex.

However, instead of protecting you against pregnancy and STIs, a 'digital condom' is designed to protect users from non-consensual nudes during sex.

What is a 'digital condom'?

The app, named Camdom and created by German company, Billy Boy, seeks to protects the digital generation against non-consensual photo and video leakage by blocking anyone from taking pictures, filming or recording audio without your consent.

Dubbed as being 'as easy as using a real condom', you need to do is open up Camdom before having sex to protect your digital intimacy.

You just wait for you and your partner's devices to be connected and Camdom recognises, syncs, and shuts down the devices' camera and mic, and a visual and sound alarm activates if any device is disconnected without consent.

And to unblock, you simply need to hold the unblock button for three seconds while separating the devices

Find out a little more about how Camdom works here:

As per CNBC, developer Felipe Almeida said that smartphones are now 'an extension of our body' where we store 'sensitive data', while the company's founder, Alexander Strümann, said the aim was to protect people 'from a threat that a normal condom can’t tackle' - namely the spread of 'non-consensual media during sex'.

Reactions to Camdom's 'digital condom'

Upon catching light of the news, and clearly before reading into it further, people rushed to social media to share their initial confusion over how a 'digital condom' would even work.

"What on God's green earth does this mean," penned one Instagram user, while another chimed in: "Excuse me what."

While a third said: "Say what now."

Others, who did, in fact, bother to investigate the Camdom further, praised it for addressing the issue of non-consensual image leakage head-on.

Camdom was praised for tacking the issue of non-consensual image and video leakage head-on (Billy Boy)

"If this works then it’s amazing," a final Instagram user said. "So many people using hidden cameras to try to record people without their consent. If this works, that’s amazing."

Intimate image and video leakage is clearly huge problem that needs to be tackled.

Research conducted by Refuge, the largest domestic abuse organisation in the UK, found that 1 in 14 adults (equivalent to 4.4 million people in England and Wales) have experienced threats to share their intimate images without their consent.

The organisation added that this is 'often' at the hands of a current or former partner.

Additionally, according to reports received by the Revenge Porn Helpline, women have approximately 28 times more images shared without their consent compared to men.

So, while people may be initially confused over the concept, this is clearly no laughing matter.

If you've been a victim of Non-Consensual Intimate Image (NCII) abuse, you can visit stopncii.org for further resources.

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