In “revenge porn” private photos or videos are shared without permission. These images are usually sexually explicit and shared to embarrass the victim. Some may be posted to revenge porn sites, but more often they are posted to social media where friends and family of the victim will see them. Texting, the Internet and social media has made this type of harassment easy, and even profitable, as sites posting the images often charge victims to remove them.
The photos and videos may be images the victim willingly shared with an intimate partner or they may have been obtained without the victim’s knowledge or consent. A 2016 study by Data & Society found that “4% of U.S. internet users—roughly 10.4 million Americans—have been threatened with or experienced the posting of explicit images without their consent.” Revenge porn may even put the victim in physical danger, if the perpetrator shares the victim’s full name and address.
Revenge porn creates additional dangers for teens, who have grown up accustomed to sharing all aspects of their lives on their phones. Distributing images of other teens, or even of themselves, could cause teens to face legal charges and be branded as sex offenders for distributing child pornography.
Once they have been publicly posted getting photos and images removed from websites can be time-consuming and difficult. WithoutMyConsent.org has a free guide that tells how to fight back against revenge porn.
The best way to handle revenge porn is to prevent it. DMCA.com recommends these ten steps to avoid becoming a victim.
- Avoid taking nude or otherwise compromising pictures of yourself, or allowing them to be taken.
- If you do take nude pictures or videos of yourself, do not send them to anyone, no matter how much you trust them.
- Teach your children not to take revealing pictures of friends, family members or themselves. Even if they think it is a joke, it can have serious consequences.
- If someone takes an intimate photo or video of you, request that they delete it. And make sure that they do.
- Do not back down from your request to delete compromising photos. Seek help from authorities (e.g., parents, schools, police) if needed.
- Remember that everyone has a camera that is connected to the internet. “Flashing the camera” is no longer an innocent joke.
- Do not post or upload any photo online unless you want that image to be seen by everyone on the internet, including your family, friends, employer and church.
- Relationships do not last forever. Former friends and intimate partners are most likely to post your private images online. Even if they don’t, what if their phone or computer is stolen, or their accounts are hacked? Your private images could quickly become public.
- Many events have roaming photographers taking pictures and videos. Avoid them, and do not pose for them.
- Don’t let yourself be tricked into posing for revealing photos for a photographer who promises to make you a star.
