TikTok users have been told to avoid participating in the so-called "silhouette challenge" on social media this week, after hackers managed to exploit one of the app's filters.
According to Insider, the social media fad has been trending on the video-sharing platform over the past month, which sees its participants dancing to a remix of Paul Anka’s 'Put Your Head on My Shoulder' for the camera.
Those taking part in the trend are encouraged to pose in front of the camera fully clothed, then stand in their doorway in silhouette with a red filter. But some users have been performing the provocative dance routine naked in a show of body positivity.
The vast majority of the videos use Snapchat's Vin Rouge filter for their red light effect, however now a number of tutorials have emerged on YouTube, explaining how to remove the filters and expose the bare bodies of participants.
According to a report by Buzzfeed News, a forum on Reddit aimed at teaching others how to remove the filter, entitled r/SilhouetteUnflitered, has now been banned from the social media site.
A further two more Twitter accounts that were taking requests to edit the silhouette videos have also been suspended.
A TikTok user with the handle @lostvsnryshots has now taken to the platform to warn others about the inherent danger of using the filter, in a PSA that has since accrued over 112,000 reactions, over 1,700 comments, and a further 2,500 shares as of the time of writing.
In the video in question, @lostvsnryshots states: "Just make sure you're being cognizant of what you're wearing before you do all the editing for the final product."
Meanwhile, a Facebook user by the name of Danyelle Thomas has shared a PSA of her own on Facebook.
Thomas wrote: "Men are currently removing the vin rouge red filter from the silhouette challenge. This is readily happening across social media with little community violation response by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok.
"When reminded that this is gross, creepy, and non-consenting, men respond that women are always finding ways to make themselves victims and they shouldn’t have been naked on the internet.
"Yes, the same men going through extraordinary lengths to be creepy are finger wagging women about what they shouldn’t put on the internet. Because of all of the things men lack — including ethics and boundaries — they’re never short on audacity. [sic]."
She continued: "This is when rape culture, misogyny, and patriarchal malarkey combine. This tweet and its attachment have been up for 16 hours with thousands of engagement markers.
"Meanwhile, I’m writing this post with through proverbially clinched teeth because one wrong phrase and I’ll be jailed for 30 days for gender-based hate speech. [sic]."
