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If someone sent a nude photo of you to others or posted it online, they might say it was your fault for sending the picture in the first place. That’s victim blaming.
What Is Revenge Pornography?
Revenge porn is a type of digital abuse in which nude or sexually explicit photos or videos are shared without the consent of those pictured. Also called nonconsensual pornography, it’s closely related to sexual abuse. A current or previous partner may share such images as “revenge” or threaten to distribute them as a type of blackmail.
You may have sent these private images to a partner. A partner may have convinced you to take explicit pictures, possibly in an effort to control or shame you. An abusive partner could even take sexual or nude photos of you without your knowledge.
Revenge porn isn’t limited to romantic partners, though. A co-worker, family member, or stranger could also gain access to your private images and share them publicly for a variety of reasons.
Is Revenge Porn Illegal?
Forty-six states and the District of Columbia have laws against revenge porn. Only Wyoming, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Massachusetts lack this kind of law.
There’s no federal law against revenge porn. But in all states, it’s illegal to share sexual videos or pictures of anyone under age 18.
The Communications Decency Act of 1996 regulates porn on the internet. It says websites and internet providers don’t have legal responsibility for pictures or videos posted by their users. That means they’re not legally required to take down revenge porn unless it breaks copyright or federal criminal laws. Some may do so voluntarily if the content violates their user guidelines.
How Can Revenge Pornography Affect You?
Revenge porn can harm you in several ways:
Psychological issues. You may deal with long-term personal and psychological issues after private images are posted publicly.
One study found that up to 93% of those involved in revenge porn had major emotional distress, such as guilt, depression, paranoia, anger, or suicidal thoughts.
If you’re having these feelings, seek help from a mental health professional. Some specialize in sexual trauma. Call the suicide and crisis hotline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org if you’re thinking of hurting yourself.
Social anxiety and isolation. If you’re a victim of revenge porn, you might start to withdraw from social settings and become isolated. It can make you feel worthless or ashamed.
But it’s important to understand that someone else’s harmful actions aren’t a reflection of your self-worth. Once you’ve processed your trauma, take steps to reconnect with your community and take part in social activities that you enjoy.
Harassment and harm to reputation. Revenge porn posts may include your name, links to your social media accounts, and even your phone number. In one study, almost half of people affected by revenge porn said others had harassed or stalked them online.
Some victims have reported that revenge porn caused them to lose their jobs or damaged their family relationships. You might decide not to apply for a job for fear a prospective employer would come across your images in an online search.
What Can You Do About Revenge Porn?
It’s not always easy to take legal action in revenge porn cases. And all the hoops you may have to jump through can lead to more distress during an already tough time. But it can help you feel less hopeless as well as protect you from further harm.
Here are some steps you can take:
Document everything. You’ll probably have the urge to immediately take down any personal images you find on the internet. But if you want to take legal action, you need to document this information. Before you delete anything, collect data. Take screenshots, download images, and turn website pages into PDFs.
Take screenshots of comments on the post, any threats you receive, search results that lead to your images, websites the images were on, and any texts, emails, or conversations tied to the pictures.
Include the sender’s phone number and name, if available. Include the date, time, and URL of any pictures included in the screenshots as well.
Report the images. Once you’ve collected data, you can try to get the images or videos removed from the internet. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and most other social media site have ways to report sexually explicit or inappropriate content. If they’re on another website, try to contact whoever runs the site. Screenshot and save any such reports you make.
Get in touch with experts. You might start by calling a crisis hotline for cyber abuse or a local domestic violence organization. You can also call the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative’s hotline 844-878-2274 or visit their online removal guide.
If your state has a revenge porn law — and especially if your case involves cyberstalking, child pornography, or domestic violence — contact law enforcement.
An attorney or advocate who is familiar with revenge porn situations can help you understand the law and make an informed decision. They can show you how to:
- Get an order of protection, which creates a legal action to stop abuse. It can legally block an abusive person from communicating with you. These orders are public, which means anyone can see them.
- Get your images copyrighted. This can make it easier for you to get control over them and take them down from the internet.
You can also hire private companies (takedown services) to remove your images for a fee.
What Is Victim Blaming?
If someone sent a nude photo of you to others or posted it online, they might say it was your fault for sending the picture in the first place. That’s victim blaming.
Others online, or people you know in real life, may also victim-blame in revenge porn situations.
You’re not to blame for the wrongdoing of another person. If you’re shamed for your abuser’s behavior, you might not feel safe reaching out to your loved ones or law enforcement for help. It might make you feel ashamed, alone, and confused. But remember, this is not your fault.
In some cases, victim blaming has led people to move to escape embarrassment. Some victims have committed suicide after victim blaming.
That’s why it’s important to show compassion and understanding to people in these situations. Never judge someone for the actions of another, abusive person. Call the crisis lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org if you’re worried that someone you know might harm themselves.
How Can You Protect Yourself From Revenge Pornography?
There’s always a risk involved in posing for or taking explicit photos or videos.
You can always say no if someone asks you to. If something makes you uncomfortable, don’t do it. If you feel pressured or unsafe, tell someone else whom you trust. They can help you decide what your next step should be.
Remember that intimate photos can be more easily used as revenge porn if they:
- Clearly show your face
- Show tattoos, birthmarks, or other distinct features
- Have a well-lit, easily identifiable background
What is ‘revenge porn’ and are there laws to protect you? Here’s what you need to know
This story is part of ‘Systems Error’, a series by CNN As Equals, investigating how your gender shapes your life online. For information about how CNN As Equals is funded and more, check out our FAQs.
In 2012, a male classmate asked then 14-year-old Leah Juliett to share naked pictures. They had a crush on the boy and sent him four images but declined to send more when the boy asked for pictures of their private parts. Juliett later found out their pictures had been circulated at school and on a website known for distributing sexual images without a person’s consent.
‘’Having my images online and having no control really made me hyper control everything else in my life in an attempt to take that control back,’’ Juliett, now 26, told CNN, adding that it severely affected their mental health.
But Juliett took action. The nonbinary activist founded March Against Revenge Porn, an international cyber civil rights organization based in the US which led multiple marches and campaigns for legislation against this form of image-based abuse. The organization is currently undergoing a rebrand.
“ Being able to transition from victim to advocate to activist and now lived experience expert h as given me opportunities to make tangible change on this issue ,” said Juliett. ‘’ I’ll never regret talking about my story a million times, and so publicly, because it really did save my life and helped me to facilitate change for other people .”
Activist Leah Juliett had their images circulated at school and on a website known for distributing sexual images without a person’s consent. Vivien Killilea/GLAAD/Getty Images
What is ‘revenge porn’?
“Revenge porn” is the popular term used for sexually explicit imagery that was stolen, shared, or otherwise distributed without the person’s consent.
The UK government defines the term as the sharing of images in this way with the intent to humiliate or cause distress, typically involving publishing or posting images on social media, in private group chats or online.
Along with their images, a victim’s personal information such as names, addresses and links to their social media profiles are sometimes shared.
The term “ revenge porn ” is considered misleading by many academics and activists who argue that many perpetrators are not motivated by retaliation and that the term implies victim-blaming. They state that the correct term should be image-based abuse, image-based sexual abuse, or non-consensual pornography.
What is the impact of so-called revenge porn?
While anybody can be a victim of image-based sexual abuse, or so-called revenge porn, women are more likely to be targeted than men, as is the case for sexual or gendered abuse and harassment online more broadly.
And being a victim of this form of abuse can have significant consequences on a person’s health and wellbeing.
Kuhan Manokaran , a lawyer who has experience assisting victims of image-based online violence in Malaysia told CNN that the main challenge he faces is helping clients overcome their embarrassment and the stigma associated with being targeted in this way.
“In Asian cultures, sex is considered a ‘taboo subject’ and seldom discussed in public. Therefore, many men and women hesitate in coming forward, let alone lodging a report or narrating what actually transpired to their lawyers. Some even feel silly or foolish for having trusted the perpetrator, and this adds another layer of complexity to the case,” he said.
Research has found that people can experience trust issues after being targeted by non-consensual pornography, while also suffering from anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and many of these mental health impacts are similar to to those caused by sexual assault. It has also been found that in coping with the experience, people may first deal with the abuse in a negative way, such as being in denial and self-medicating, and as time passes, turn to positive coping mechanisms, such as seeking professional help, according to t he 2016 study published in the journal Feminist Criminology.
Image-based sexual abuse can also occur when someone’s image is taken without their consent. In South Korea, for example, the use of spycams — the use of tiny, hidden cameras to film victims naked, urinating or having sex — in spaces like toilets or hotels has become endemic. Victims of non-consensual capture and distribution of intimate images have said they struggle with escaping the stigma, which can lead to feeling excluded in public spaces, have a negative impact on education and employment opportunities, and in some cases, lead to suicide, according to a 2021 report from Human Rights Watch.
The threat of sharing one’s intimate images is a known coercive or control tactic, according to a 2016 survey conducted by research non-profit Data & Society and the Center for Innovative Public Health Research. The survey found that 3% of American internet users aged 15 years or older “have had someone threaten to post nearly nude or nude photos or videos of them online to hurt or embarrass them.”