Reports of abuse rise after Facebook launches 'panic button'

More than 200 users of Facebook have reported suspicious behaviour online since the launch of an anti-abuse application last month, figures showed.

Investigators saw more than a sevenfold increase in the number of reports from the social networking site since the launch of the safety button which aims to protect children from bullying, suspected grooming and other abuse. A total of 211 people used the site's ClickCEOP button to report abuse since July 12, compared with just 28 users who reported abuse through the site in the month before its launch.

In all, Facebook users downloaded the application (app) more than 55,000 times in its first month, leading to more than 20,000 people getting regular online safety updates and more than 5,000 accessing help, advice and support, said the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (Ceop) Centre.

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Chief executive Jim Gamble said: "The response to this campaign has been excellent so far.

"The sheer numbers of people who have engaged with the app – including the volume of positive comments received – has shown that this move as been extremely well received by parents and young people alike."

The safety button has been at the centre of an embarrassing public row for Facebook, one of the world's most popular social-networking sites, which resisted requests for a so-called panic button on all young people's profile pages.

The American company faced a fusillade of pleas from Ceop, police chiefs, politicians, charities and campaign groups who supported its use.

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Facebook vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa Joanna Shields said: "There is no single answer to making the internet safer but Ceop have taken a great step forward by setting up their ClickCEOP page."

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