REVENGE PORN

These days we don’t need to be anywhere in the radius of an object or a person to be able to see them … all we need is a phone. Possessing this small but powerful, nifty, little device enables anyone anywhere to see everyone and everything that’s found its way on to the World Wide Web; which incase you haven't noticed, is quite big.

Whether it’s Instagram ‘cheeky Nandos’ posts (yes I know there is nothing cheeky about chicken) or Facebooks ‘no makeup selfies’, mobile phones come armed with cameras. Gone are the days of disposable cameras or video cassette tapes, nowadays a quick click on an app snaps up footage in seconds, and just a few more clicks uploads that image or video to anywhere the uploader desires.

A new term I’ve come across lately a lot in the media is ‘revenge porn’. Sounds scary doesn't it? Referring back to what I said in the first sentence, you no longer need to be plonked naked as sin, smack bang in front of your man for him to be able to see you in all your glory. I say ‘in front of your man’ because 90% of revenge porn victims are women. A quick naked selfie sent over for “his eyes only” or maybe your once trusted male companion shooting a hand held home movie now results in all the power being held literally … in his hands. Or her hands, including the 10% of females seeking revenge through the lens of a camera.

And we wonder why there are so many trust issues in modern day relationships?

Right; everyone is going on like this is a new thing and all these peksy old people (from generations before us) are blaming the media and ofcourse technology - Let's get one thing straight, this isn't new and technology isn't strictly to blame.

The only thing that is new is the name; the concept is most certainly not. By definition revenge porn is explicit content shared without consent of the pictured individual and while the internet does make this easier, believe it or not there was actually life before the World Wide Web. If someone wanted revenge this way then they’d simply post a sex tape through a friend or family member’s letterbox. Brutal ...

The good news is that revenge porn is now an official offence and will be illegal at some point this year, subject to the parliamentary process. It will carry a sentence of up to two years. The bad news? Since when did something being illegal stop it from happening? We’re not allowed to download music illegally yet our iPod playlists have ‘Free YouTube converter’ written all over them and I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to drink underage but have you been to your local park on a Friday or Saturday night?

I’m not saying that being faced with a couple years in jail won’t definitely defer a lot of people, it will. No matter how much you may hate an ex, if you end up sitting in a jail cell for months on end … the joke is definitely not on them. However I can’t help but wonder if making it punishable with prison seems a bit pointless. This kind of thing happens A LOT and surely we don’t want limited jail cells being filled up with a bunch of keyboard warriors? Not when there are rapists and murderers still skipping about. Yes, this sort of thing causes embarrassment, harassment, humiliation, upset and can lead to bullying etc etc BUT although under no circumstances do I think the persons in the photos actions are to blame, I do think it’s a risk that they willingly take. A boy may say it’s for his eyes only and he’d never show anyone the photos/videos but guess what? Boys also lie. Plus, if some guy wants to give it the big licks and post up an intimate photo of an ex, he will no doubt get more grief than it’s worth. Any decent, moral person will obviously recognize it as an invasion of privacy and disregard of trust; basically, the person uploading them looks a total utter moron. Agreed?

I've seen this type of thing happen before. A girls nudes went viral on Facebook and the immediate reaction was not people calling her derogatory names or blaming her for taking the photo but instead was a mass attack on the boy who posted them; even snide remarks about his manly parts were made and his weren't even the ones on show.

Karma much?

Instead I think a large fine as punishment would be better suited. No one wants to waste money on an ex do they, really?

AS usual it’s only since celebrity nudes leaked that there has really been an uproar. What about the thousands of people who had their womanhood plastered all over social networking sites or actual revenge porn websites before Jennifer Lawrence’s or Emma Watson’s were? It doesn't take a genius to work out that unless you intended your naked photo to be public, not many people would be happy with their nudes being uploaded publicly for god knows how many people to see, comment on, like, tweet, share, discuss etc without their consent. Even an actual revenge porn website owner has filed multiple take down notices to Google to remove “unauthorized photos” of his self from the internet. No, really. This actually happened.

Revenge porn can ruin a person’s life, affect them at work, and affect their relationships but it’s definitely too big of a problem to be simply solved with a new law. Personally, I don’t think the law change will do much. How many people would actually get prosecuted? Even if they did would the images be taken down from all sites permanently? Is it really that easy to get images removed? It sounds extreme but just look at how many rapists go unpunished...

At the end of the day you can’t trust anyone (starting to sound like my mother here) regardless of how well you think you know them. It’s sad but it’s true. The root of the problem comes down to personal morals and more importantly: PEOPLE, not technology. Don’t treat others how you wouldn't like to be treat yourself, that's what my mother always told me. Uploading those types of photos says more about the person uploading them than it does about the person in them.

This post was very much so favoured to the girls BUT do any of us girls actually like dick pics? Nope, didn't think so.

Heads up to the lads though because they do tend to do the SMART thing and NOT include there face.

I'll say that again. DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR FACE. If you're going to send them, snap away but this is always rule 1.

(Not that I would know, I just heard ..)

If a photo of you gets out:

1. Don't panic. (Obviously you'll panic) but just think logically. You need to get the photo taken down so contact the actual site. (NOT the person who uploaded them as I don't think they'll be very cooperative.) Sometimes this can be difficult/lengthy and sometimes ends up in court (depending where it ended up - things like facebook will be taken down pretty swiftly.) There is websites such as www.saferinternet.org.uk though to help get images removed.
2. There is also a helpline 0845 6000 459 to help you deal with any prolems you might face e.g. embarrasment/bullying/relationships etc. Give them a ring! You could also ring 101 the non-emergency police line.
3. If you sent the photo, you clearly think you look alright in it. Obviously, some revenge porn is ... unflattering but seriously, like I said it says more about the person posting it. Embrace your nakedness, keep your head high and hopefully karma has its wicked way.  

At the end of the day if you don’t want images of you to get out, don’t take them or don’t let others take them. Yes we all know, it’s a bit of fun and can spice things up a bit but if you’re not willing to take the risk, and there’s always that risk, simply don’t put yourself in a position to be victimized. No photo – no problem.

It's not the law that needs to change, it's people. If you're the type of person to seek revenge on an ex by totally betraying them and using low blows like uploading intimate photos, the only person people should be judging is you. Have a bit of class and a little originality if revenge is that important to you. After all, revenge is meant to be sweet and there's nothing sweet about grey overalls and wearing flip flops in the shower.