Equivalent to digital rape, the nonconsensual sharing of sexual media can ruin lives - and often does.
But how does revenge porn happen?
Where did it come from?
And what motivates someone to take such a harmful action against a partner (or stranger)?
All of these have had a demonstrably positive impact.
But there is a dark side to shifting so much of our lives online.
Take, for example, dating and sex.
‘Sharing’ is now a fundamental part of any experience for most young people - even sex.
Sexting, nude selfies, and sexual videos have all gained mainstream acceptance as an essential part of dating.
Finally, we’ve reached a tipping point in dating and relationships.
Even as the pandemic subsides, online dating remains dominant in many places.
All of these trends have been building for years.
One of The most notorious consequences of these changes is the rise of revenge porn.
In fact, revenge porn is older than the internet - by about a century.
The first known record of what we now call revenge porn occurred in 1888.
Advertising and media portrayed such activities as akin to sport hunting and shooting game.
The court case resulted in the first “right to privacy laws” in the USA and elsewhere.
However, this did little to stop the issue.
With the rise of the commercial internet, online revenge porn soon followed.
Early 2000s Usenet groups often distributed “real core pornography,” consisting of images and videos of ex-girlfriends.
In 2010, the first successful court case related to revenge porn occurred in New Zealand.
A man was jailed for 4 months for posting explicit photos of his ex-girlfriend on Facebook.
However, the same year, Hunter Moore created his infamous revenge porn site “Is Anyone Up?”
- the subject of Netflix’s shocking 2022 documentary “The Most Hated Man on the Internet.”
Moore createdIs Anyone Up?
Hunter was also earning $10,000s through advertising and merchandise sales.
He sold the site shortly afterward to the anti-bullying website Bullyville, who proceeded to take it down.
was convicted of a crime directly related to revenge porn, and they all received incredibly light punishment.
However, as we’ll detail further down, that is finally changing.
Hopefully, if someone like Hunter Moore tried to create a version ofIs Anyone Up?
now, victims and activists would not face so much difficulty prosecuting them.
The result is this comprehensive guide to the current state of revenge porn and efforts to curtail it.
Understanding Consent - No Means No
No means not-ever, no-way, no-how… NO!
Why should this response to having your nude image shared online be any different than being physically raped?
Dont let the embarrassment or shame of being victimized stop you from pursuing justice.
There are always two parties involved in revenge porn: the victim and the perpetrator.
The distinction between the two is relatively straightforwardblack and white, hot and cold, good and bad.
Does the victimwantto becomevictimized?
Why do people victim blame?
Anyone who has discussed revenge porn and other forms of intimate image abuse will be familiar with such statements.
Theyll be less likely to get the help and support they need and deserve.
It also spares abuser of any responsibility and accountability for harming their victim.
They are more likely to repeat the behavior on additional victims, consequence-free.
Examples include:
What is Sextortion?
Sextortion can be defined as webcam blackmail for money or sexual-image favors.
It essentially consists of three different scenarios:
1.
During the call, the sextortionist convinces the victim to get nude or to perform a sexual act.
Research shows that an alarming 45 percent of perpetratorscarry out their threats.
Many victims of sextortion-by-enticement aredriven to suicideas a result of being victimized.
Sextortion also occurs as a result of hacking.
Phishing Emails
Victims receive an email informing them that their account has been hacked.
The sextortionist will claim to have hacked the victims webcam and recorded them masturbating while visiting porn sites.
However, in almost every case like this, the sextortionist is bluffing and has no recordings.
Piracy
Hackers also actively target websites and private accounts to steal nude images and videos.
This includes private webcam chat rooms and personal-email account hacks.
A famous example of such a hack was the Celebgate scandal.
The major helplines and advocacy groups are already too overwhelmed simply trying to provide support to victims.
Key takeaways:
Gender and Sexuality
The most surprising results from both studies focus on gender.
Men are 2-3 times more likely to commit revenge porn, and twice as likely to be victims.
The two studies vary considerably when it comes to reporting incidents of intimate image abuse or seeking support.
In both cases,most victims did not seek any help after victimization.
For women, the most common reasons were I was embarrassed and I was afraid.
Most men selected It didnt bother me as the reason for not seeking help.
This disparity is probably the result of cultural differences between the study groups.
There are some shortcomings in the data, but it still reveals some crucial insights.
Of course, we need more precise, more methodologically sound demographic research to confirm this.
Age
Combined, the two studies surveyed people between the ages of 16-97.
The marriage infidelity website Ashley Madison also sawa spike in activityat the start of the pandemic.
Just how severe is the problem?
I reached out to four well-respected advocacy and legal organizations to find out.
The following is a summary of their responses.
They experience a 98% increase in April, with new cases growing every month.
2020 was the Helplines busiest year on record after only a few months.
In 2019, therevenge porn Helpline statisticsworked on atotalannual number of 1,685 cases.
In March 2020 alone, it had a total of 520 cases.
In August, the hotline dealt with 1,914 reports of revenge porn.
This may be the tip of a very big iceberg.
Finally, COVID-19 has affected the Helplines staffing arrangements.
like contact us by email.
Of course,many victims are too embarrassed or ashamed to report an incident to law enforcement.
But even those studies admit that their sampling methodologies have shortcomings that make those their results speculative.
So why do the gender, age, and sexual orientation of victimsand perpetratorsmatter?
Accurate demographic research is critical for effectively targeting support and educational efforts directed at both victims and potential perpetrators.
A more dynamic response by the criminal justice system to investigate and prosecute revenge porn is crucial.
We need to reach the point where the response is equatable to incidents of sexual abuse and rape.
Only four people had viewed the picture of Streisands home before it was brought to her attention.
However, Streisands case backfired spectacularly.
For one, she lost.
Also, a month after the singers lawyers filed suit, nearly 500,000 people had viewed the image.
In the years since, millions have seen photos of her mansion online.
And thus, The Streisand Effect was born.
Had she never filed the lawsuit, the image may still only have four views.
Some jurisdictions have taken steps to address the issue.
For example, California has aJane/John Doe lawthat says:
….
However, other factors may be holding law enforcement and courts from pursuing and prosecuting revenge porn cases.
Dont blame yourselfits not your fault.
And rememberyou are not alone.
After youve calmed yourself, take the following steps:
1.
Documentation will be essential if you decide to pursue legal relief.
Preserve evidence of any communication or conversations with the perpetrator also.
Social media sites likeFacebookandYouTubehave strict policies for adult content on their sites.
It is not always immediately evident who posted nonconsensual pornography.
You may have to do a little bit of research toidentify an anonymous poster.
[Also see below for online removal resources.]
One of the simplest ways to find out the source of an image is by usingGoogle Reverse Image Search.
On your setup (or phone), simply right-pick the intimate or explicit image and select copy image.
Then, go toGoogle Imagesand click search by image.
Paste the image you just copied into the search bar.
The search results will point you toward all sites that have the image.
There are many other ORGs available online - a simple search of Online Removal Guides will bring up plenty.
However, like many ORMs, theyre not all dedicated to just revenge porn and NCIA digital-image removal.
Theres also the prospect of the Streisand effect, even if you settle on pursuing a civil case.
Law enforcement and local district attorneys prosecute adult criminal cases.
That means you dont necessarily need a lawyerbut hiring one may make the process more manageable and immediate.
Civil cases, however, do require retaining a lawyer.
you’ve got the option to pursue civil cases in any state.
The spokesperson said the removal process takes about five days.
Still, dont hold back from getting reparation for your victimization suffering.
The Minc Law spokesperson said its more likely that a civil case will result in a pre-trial settlement.
Dont allow any embarrassment to stop you from pursuing justice or cave into the demands of the extortionist.
Dont communicate with your perpetrator any further.
Document your experience by taking a screenshot of the perpetrator.
If you’re able to record any communication from the perpetrator, do that.
But dont respond to the threat.
Get any video blocked and taken down, and set up an alert in case it resurfaces.
It’ll be next to the word Skype and will have no spaces in it.
DO NOT DELETE ANY CORRESPONDENCE.
Many victims who have paid have continued to get more demands for higher amounts of money.
If you have already paid, look to see if the money has been collected.
If possible, make a note of where it was collected from.
If it hasn’t, cancel the paymentand the sooner you do that, the better.
Contact your local police or authority, or call a helpline or legal firm for advice.
Once more, the realm of revenge porn and intimate image abuse is relatively nascent in comparison.
The era of online dating represents the modern phase of physical relationships, encompassing real intimacy.
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With that in mind, here some final thoughts on the subject.
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