In the 1980s, Hustler Magazine inaugurated a monthly feature inviting readers to, so to speak, create their own porn. Subscribers were encouraged to submit sexual photos of women they knew, often with personal information such as name, hobbies and interests attached, to be published in the magazine’s ‘Beaver Hunt’ section. The resulting collection included some unauthorised images submitted with forged or fake consent forms, and the magazine quickly faced law suits from women alleging that their privacy had been violated.Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there. The internet made perpetrators more anonymous and took away the need for a formal platform. In the early 2000s, Sergio Messina, an Italian researcher, coined the term ‘real-core’ pornography to describe user generated content available on sites like Usenet and XTube
Meanwhile, in 2010, Hunter Moore launched a new site which mimicked the Hustler format by including names, personal details and links to social media pages for its porn subjects. The Moore site attracted attention and the term ‘revenge porn’ began to be popularly applied to the practice of publishing sexual images with the deliberate intent of humiliating an ex-lover.
Over time, revenge porn has become more generalised and many online criminals now use illegal pornographic content to blackmail or coerce victims they may not even know in person, such as the 2014 case where private images of Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton and other celebrities were stolen by hackers and published online.
Revenge Porn has Serious Consequences for Victims
Victims of image based sexual abuse face serious, long-term consequences, beyond the embarrassment of finding intimate pictures publically available. With more and more employers running an internet search on candidates before hiring, sexual content appearing on page one of Google’s search results will significantly diminish an applicant’s chances of landing an important job, even if every other qualification is outstanding.
Additionally, victims can face discrimination and have difficulty building and maintaining meaningful personal relationships. A culture of victim-blaming leads many to believe that subjects are at least partially responsible, especially when the pictures were often originally taken consensually as part of an intimate relationship. Today, unauthorised sexual content is prohibited on most major sites, but once the images are shared removal is time-consuming and difficult. Victims may find themselves in an ongoing battled to get every copy taken down.
Revenge Porn is a Criminal Offense in the UK
Over the past few years, activists and women’s rights groups have begun to speak out against revenge porn and advocate for legal protections specifically targeting the posting of sexual images without consent. In response, a growing number of countries and states have moved to pass laws criminalising this behaviour.
In Britain, section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act of 2015 made it a crime to publically share private sexual photographs and film without the subject’s consent and with intent to cause distress. Under the new law, perpetrators who are convicted can face up to two years in prison. The intent to cause distress clause makes it more difficult to prosecute anyone who has merely shared the images without personal knowledge of the victim; however, the law still resulted in 206 convictions during its first year. Scotland and Northern Ireland passed similar laws in 2016.
Even with revenge porn defined as a crime in the UK, it can still be difficult for victims to come forward. Proving malicious intent may be difficult and publicity surrounding the trial may exacerbate the reputation issue. The Revenge Porn Helpline is a free service which offers support and legal advice, and this can be a helpful first step in building a case.
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