We can now help with Revenge Porn

Revenge porn now supported at The Cyber Helpline

Revenge Porn has been a growing issue for a long time. The impact on victims and the growth in incidents has led to new law passed in the UK that can give perpetrators a maximum of two years in prison. Our chatbot has been updated to be able to identify revenge porn scenarios and we have a new web guide on revenge porn.

Previously revenge porn would have been picked up by the chatbot in either the Webcam Blackmail, Content for Ransom or Outing attack categories, but it is unique enough that it needs its own category.

What is revenge porn?

Revenge porn is when a former partner posts sexually explicit videos or pictures of you online without your permission. These private videos or images are shared maliciously to cause distress.

Typically the images are taken with permission during the relationship, but are posted or shared after a break-up. These images could also have been taken without permission - for example taken in secret or hacked from an online account.

The images may have been shared amongst a small group (for example on WhatsApp) or shared publicly on porn sites and social media platforms.

Revenge porn is a crime. It is illegal to share these videos or images either online or offline and it carries a two year maximum prison sentence.

What to do if you have been a victim of revenge porn?

This is a horrible crime to experience. Victims feel angry and embarrassed at the same time and the emotional impact can be huge. When you find out that sexually explicit imagery of you has been shared online the trick is to try and keep calm and make the right choices.

As a first step, it is important to document what was shared, where it was shared, when it was shared and who shared it (from what accounts or username). Take screenshots and pictures and keep them somewhere safe. This evidence will allow you to progress a criminal case if you choose to do so.

Next you want to report it to the police by calling 101 or going to your local police station. If you are under 18 you should contact the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOP). The Internet Watch Foundation can also help get indecent images of children removed and you can report it here.

You then want to work directly with the sites hosting the content to get it removed and with search engines to make sure they are not picking up the content.

You can find a lot more detail in our Revenge Porn Guide and you get help with this issue by visiting our Get Help page.