It’s an issue that many people face on Twitter , but the days of receiving unsolicited ‘d*** pics’ on the platform could soon be a things of the past.
One frustrated user has now helped to develop an AI system that can detect and delete explicit pictures in private messages on Twitter .
Kelsey Bressler, CTO of revenge porn activism organisation, Badass Army, is currently refining the system.
Speaking to the BBC , she said: “When you receive a photo unsolicited it feels disrespectful and violating.
"It's the virtual equivalent of flashing someone in the street. You're not giving them a chance to consent, you are forcing the image on them, and that is never OK.”
To test the system, Ms Bressler set up a new Twitter account called ‘showMeYourD’, which actively invited men to ‘send nudes for science.’
So far, hundreds of willing participants have sent photos to the account.
While the AI has been ‘tricked’ by some more complex images - including one of a man wearing a cage over his genitals, and another of a penis covered in glitter - it’s proved a success at detecting more basic d*** pics.
Ms Bressler added: “I see the issue come up in my news feed almost daily, but Twitter has not yet shown they care enough to find a solution.
"If this tech could be created in a couple of days, I'm not sure why tech companies have not led similar initiatives.
"People say the easy solution is to close your messages - but we should not have to shut ourselves off to the world because some people do not know how to behave."
Once the project is finished, Ms Bressler hopes to approach Twitter with the research, in the hopes that they could implement it on the site.
