No one goes through life without making at least one stupid mistake. For people (especially women) who trusted their former partners with revealing or nude photos, though, the effects can last a lifetime. So-called revenge porn sites specialize in giving bitter men an outlet for their rage. The sites actively solicit photos of ex-girlfriends and wives, then allow users to comment on the images.
Many sites also give out the woman’s contact information, employment history, and other personally identifiable information. Several states are moving to criminalize such behavior—a welcome decision for those who have experienced the effects and previously had no recourse.
Understanding Revenge Porn
For generations we’ve all known that our photos could end up in the wrong hands. With the advent of revenge porn sites, though, a simple click of a button makes it possible for disgruntled exes and even people you’ve never met to distribute your photos to millions of people. While many of the images are photos women willingly sent to former lovers, a significant portion of the images are fakes—a real woman’s head photoshopped onto someone else’s nude body.
The sites actively solicit comments from users, and encourage those who post images to give as much information about the subject of the photo as possible. This makes women whose images are posted on revenge porn sites vulnerable to cyberbullying, stalking, and even physical violence. Charlotte Laws, a journalist who investigated a revenge porn site, reported that she got hang-up calls, dozens of death threats, and that a mysterious van parked outside of her house late one evening.
People who have been the subjects of revenge porn report that the experience feels like sexual abuse because they have to watch hundreds—and sometimes even thousands—of people (mostly men) comment online about their bodies and sexuality. The images are publicly available to employers, parents, professors, and anyone else who happens to view revenge porn.And once the images are live, they’re nearly impossible to remove. Even if one is successful in getting a site to remove one image, users may make copies and post the image on hundreds of other sites. Some people have committed suicide as a reaction to this public display of a life they once had.
Revenge Porn’s Legal Status
Revenge porn currently occupies a legal gray area. Posting false, malicious statements online is a type of defamation for which victims can sue. Similarly, some have attempted to use copyright laws to get the images taken down. But finding the person who posted the statements or the owner of the website is no small undertaking. Laws, for example, spent months trying to locate the owner of a single revenge porn site.
When revenge porn spirals out of control, perpetrators may stalk or harass victims, enabling victims to seek criminal prosecution. For most people affected by revenge porn, though, waiting until cyberbullying becomes real-life stalking is a dangerous and psychologically damaging prospect.
Several states are now attempting to criminalize revenge porn sites. Legislation has already passed in Idaho, Virginia, and Washington. A proposed bill in Colorado would make it a misdemeanor to knowingly post images that could lead to “serious emotional distress.” Offenders would be subject to a $10,000 fine and be forced to remove the images.
Of course, not all revenge porn is posted by someone the victim knows. The new legislation doesn’t solve the problem of locating the person who posted the images or finding a website’s owner, but it does offer some hope to victims. Until legislation passes in all 50 states, though, many people will be left with few options.
References:
- Burleigh, N. (2013, September 17). Sexting, shame and suicide. Retrieved from http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/sexting-shame-and-suicide-20130917
- Franks, M. A., & Citron, D. (2014, April 17). It’s simple: Criminalize revenge porn, or let men punish women they don’t like. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/17/revenge-porn-must-be-criminalized-laws
- Najdowski, C. J., Ph.D., & Hildegrand, M. H. (2014, January). The criminalization of ‘revenge porn’ Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/01/jn.aspx
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