Revenge Porn

Revenge porn is a relatively new issue, with the increase in social media websites and more access to the internet it has become much more accessible in recent years. So what is revenge porn? Revenge porn is when private and sexually explicit videos and photos are shared, this is not necessarily exclusively on the internet as it can also include distributing it in other ways. The term was rarely heard of up until a few years ago however recently it has been an issue frequently discussed in forums, on the news and online. The main goal of revenge porn is explained as a way of humiliating former lovers and can happen both when the victim willingly took the photos and when the perpetrator takes them unknowingly. The victim may have consented to the photos being taken, however this does not mean they have consented to the distribution of the images or videos. In many cases though, the victim is blamed for taking the photos in the first place even if they believed the perpetrator could be trusted, it can damage their reputation and cause issues when they go on to apply for jobs in the future.

According to BBC News the law against revenge porn came into force in England and Wales in 2015. Since being made a criminal offence, over 200 people have been prosecuted, currently, the maximum sentence is two years imprisonment which aims to act as a deterrent and show people how seriously this crime is being taken. Many perpetrators may believe they aren’t doing anything wrong as the victim consented at the time however the distribution of these images can have an extremely damaging effect on it’s victims which will be discussed further later on. Some victims of revenge porn were as young as 11, however anyone can be a victim of this crime whether they are male or female, old or young. A McAfee study found that 10% of ex-partners have threatened to publish photos of their ex-partners and 60% of the time, these individuals did go on to public the photographs and videos online. While there have been a number of convictions, in 61% of cases, no action was taken against the alleged perpetrator. In many of the cases, this was due to a lack of evidence in the case but in many instances the victims withdrew their statement. Rebecca Hitchin from the charity Rape Crisis explains that like rape, revenge porn victims often feel reluctant to come forward as they may think they won’t be believed and the stressful and lengthy legal process may discourage them from coming forward. The comments on the photos which blame victims may also discourage victims to come forward as they may feel like it was their fault or like they will be treated in the same way. They may feel like they will be judged by family and friends for taking the photographs or videos in the first place and will be blamed for the actions of the perpetrators, many victims are being controlled by their partners or ex-partners who have these images or videos, they may have been told their families will be sent the images so therefore don’t want to come forward to report it.

The Effect of Revenge Porn

The effect of revenge porn can be devastating for the victims as well as family members and friends. The CPS explain that in many cases, the images are often joined by personal information including links to the victims social media accounts and details of their home and work which mean their whole life is out for the public to see. In other cases the victims have been fired from their jobs or expelled from school, receiving online abuse and being harassed is also common with many being propositioned by strangers because of the behaviour that was seen in the videos or photos. Many victims suffer from mental and emotional trauma which can harm their reputations severely, it has also been found that even those who speak out about revenge porn have been targeted. There seems to be a negative reaction towards those whose images are published even though they are the victims and should be treated with sympathy. As the internet develops we are able to track down people on social media a lot quicker, we can find people on facebook within seconds, learn their age, date of birth, job and home. Therefore victims can be tracked from school to school and job to job, seemingly unable to get away from this traumatic event.

“my privacy, my intimacy, my body have been completely violated. The pictures were taken and shared with trust.”

These are the words of a 22 year old who was the victim of revenge porn, she found out that naked photos of her had been released; she had taken them for an art project. They were posted online and she then received abuse and even some rape threats from members of the public.

Once the images and videos have been uploaded via the internet, a Google search of the victims name will bring up these images. Even if they have been deleted from the original source, it is extremely difficult to retrieve all the images once they have been uploaded as they may have been saved by other people or uploaded onto a number of different websites. This may cause a number of issues for the victim when they go on to apply for jobs, future employers may search their name in order to find out more about them and be faced with a number of explicit images which may deter them from giving the victim a job. There are a number of websites which are dedicated to the publishing of revenge porn, these sites also allow comments which can contain insults about the victim, if the victim ends up discovering these comments, this could damage their self esteem and lead to depression. There have been cases of victims resorting to suicide as they believe this is their only way out of the situation, other have been stalked, assaulted or even killed as a result. It is clear that revenge porn is an incredibly serious offence, however as it is relatively new in terms of a criminal offence, some people don’t see it as a ‘proper crime.’ This shows the amount of work which needs to be done in order to stop other potential victims from having to go through the traumatic experience.

Can we prevent it?

 Revenge porn is something which could happen to anyone, as discussed early, you don’t have to willingly take photos in order to be a victim. Having photos taken without your knowledge can also be an example of revenge porn. In the past few years there have been a number of high profile cases, there have also been examples of celebrities being victims. This shows that even those with power, money and lawyers working for them can still fall victim to revenge porn. Even in the comfort of their home, celebrities are not immune to becoming victims of revenge porn just like the general public. Singer Tulisa Contostavlos was a victim in 2012 when she accused her ex-boyfriend of publishing a sex tape of the pair, while Rihanna had images of her leaked in 2009. A more recent example is Jennifer Lawrence who was hacked before explicit photos were published onto the internet.

So what can we do to stop revenge porn? When Jennifer Lawrence’s photos were leaked, many were told not to click on the photos in order to not give the website the page views and give them money. There are a number of things to do if you are a victim of revenge porn, it is best to act as quickly as possible in order to prevent the photos from being published on too many websites and getting out of hand.  It is also recommended to attempt to screen shot each website where your images are available, this can be difficult as once your images have been uploaded, they can be hard to trace. However showing that you are attempting to do something about the images can help in a legal case. Contacting the websites hosting the images can also be effective in order to take the photos down. However if the person who uploaded the photo is known to the victim, legal action can be taken against this individual. While the new law has worked to punish those who publish explicit images without permission and act as a deterrent, there is still a long way to go in order to create an understanding of it and prevent the barrage of abuse in which victims often receive.