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.
