Revenge Porn is a horrific thing for anyone to experience. Discovering that your most intimate moments are available to strangers, either on the internet or in the real world, can cause great distress, and leave victims feeling exposed, weak, afraid and vulnerable. It’s also illegal and, if found guilty, the perpetrator, or perpetrators, can be given up to two years in prison.

Given the risks, the DMCA advises that the best approach is to simply not take, or agree to have taken, intimate pictures or video of yourself. If you do, then don’t send them to anyone, or upload them anywhere on the internet, or if someone takes them of you, then firmly ask them to delete the file and make sure you see them do it.

The government defines Revenge Porn as: “the sharing of private, sexual materials, either photos or videos, of another person without their consent and with the purpose of causing embarrassment or distress. The images are sometimes accompanied by personal information about the subject, including their full name, address and links to their social media profiles.“

The offence also applies to images or videos that are shared by email, or text message, or even shown to someone else on your own device. Just knowing that an intimate image of you has been shown to one person can be incredibly damaging and so think twice before you share anything that might have been given to you in confidence

If you think you, or someone you know, is the victim of Revenge Porn of any sort, or any of the issues raised here, then the following organisations offer help and support.

• Channel 4 Help and Support
• DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act Services)
• Female First
• Revenge Porn Helpline