Revenge Porn — What You Need To Know
- Evie Howarth
- Feb 10, 2022
- 4 min read
Laws exist around revenge porn. Here’s the lowdown and what to do if you’re a victim.
TW: This article discusses Revenge Porn, a form of sexual abuse. Please consider your wellbeing before reading.
At the time of writing it’s currently Sexual Assault Awareness Week. Sexual abuse exists in many forms, but one of them is a little more unique and takes place predominantly over messaging apps and the internet.
The type of abuse we’re talking about is called Revenge Porn (RP). But what is RP? What laws exist around it and what do we need to know?
What is revenge porn?
The clue is in the word revenge, but it isn’t necessarily 'porn’ or ‘revenge’ as we know it.
RP involves sending sexually explicit media such as photos and videos via messages or the internet. This can be done by the individual you’ve sent pictures or videos to, or they’re intercepted by a hacker who then leaks them online.
There are numerous motives behind why people post such media without the other party’s consent. Yes, it can be revenge for whatever reason, but it can also be to cause shame, social isolation or generally getting a kick for humiliating someone.
Ultimately, it’s a form of sexual abuse that completely violates the privacy of the creator. It can happen to anyone who’s shared nudes and the like. And yes, this could mean you.
How did revenge porn come about?
RP has been around for absolutely decades. In fact, one of the earliest known cases dates back to the Marilyn Monroe era. Monroe’s photos got released without consent into the first issue of Playboy, which was published in 1953.
There have been numerous accounts of famous celebrities getting doxed (where perpetrators search for and leak private information often with malicious intent) for their sex life, like Madonna, Vanessa Williams, Charlize Theron, and many more.
Is revenge porn illegal?
Videoing or capturing revenge porn has been illegal since April 2015 in Section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act. The revenge porn law covers the sharing of this explicit media both online and offline, such as:
Anything posted on social networking sites
Messages shared via text or messaging apps (Messenger, WhatsApp etc)
Images and videos shared via email
Images and videos published on a website
The distribution of physical copies such as photographs, discs or tapes
While this is all well and good, there hasn’t been a law around threatening to share someone’s content.
New revenge porn laws
However, according to Marie Claire, it is now officially illegal, with offenders facing up to two years in prison if they’re convicted. This came about after years of charity campaigns and former victims such as Love Island’s Zara McDermott coming out with their stories publicly.
In fact, the Naked Threat campaign was backed by the Victims Commissioner and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner.
Did you know sharing dick pics can land you on the sex offenders list and two years in prison too?
What to do if you’re a victim of revenge porn
Unfortunately, everyone can be a victim of RP. It’s often that the perpetrators are exes or someone you already know.
Regardless, it’s an incredibly distressing thing to go through. Here are some ways to navigate being doxed via RP.
Seek help
The Revenge Porn Helpline is a service you can use if you’re a victim of RP. They give one-to-one confidential advice and support on things like social media community guidelines, how to get content removed and what evidence you need to gather when reporting the crime to the authorities as well as tons of legal advice.
Get it removed asap
One of the first things to do is get it removed from the public domain. The perpetrator is very unlikely to do this and it may not be safe to reach out to them.
It’s worth contacting the host of the site with as much information as possible to get the media taken down. If you’re able to, having a solicitor involved can speed up the process.
If the website isn’t hosted in the UK, it can be a lot more tricky.
However, if it is in the UK or EU and they refuse to take the images down (especially if they’re a site for this sort of thing), then a court summons can be made against them.
Report it as soon as possible
If you’ve had your private sexual media shared without your consent, you can report this by dialing 101, or 999 if you’re in immediate danger.
In terms of pursuing a criminal law option, the perpetrator can be convicted for one or several offences in court:
Blackmail
Voyeurism (if the images were obtained without consent)
Harassment
Offences under the Malicious Communication Act, if the CPS are satisfied that the images were published in order to cause anxiety and distress.
Consider an injunction
This may be costly and will require a solicitor.
This involves getting a court injunction that stops the distribution of the material. Resort to this method if you are able to do so and when the website nor perpetrator are cooperating.
Tell your friends and family
We get why this may be the last thing you want to do. Only do what you’re comfortable with, but hear us out for a moment.
Being a victim of RP is incredibly serious and can bring about a lot of anxiety. By reaching out you’ll feel less alone and supported by your loved ones. It also gives them a heads up if they were to ever discover it on social media.
And remember, what happened to you isn’t your fault, and opening up could help lessen the humiliation you’re feeling.
Support for victims of revenge porn
We uncovered how the UK education system simply isn’t doing enough to combat sexual abuse. Educating on consent from a much younger age is just one of many ways schools can encourage young minds to make better choices.
Being a victim of RP certainly isn’t easy. But there are growing lists of resources and help out there to get you through it. Here’s a list of resources you can read up on or reach out to for support with dealing with RP:
