Revenge porn

Revenge porn is the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of individuals without their consent, with the <a href="/facts/Punishment/1eNwt547">punitive</a> intention to create <a href="/facts/Public_humiliation/W68JkIJV">public humiliation</a> or <a href="/facts/Character_assassination/tTV3hzw8">character assassination</a> out of <a href="/facts/Revenge/hr5TLjFX">revenge</a> against the victim. The material may have been made by an <a href="/facts/Ex_(relationship)/UmSPVWde">ex-partner</a> from an <a href="/facts/Intimate_relationship/pSvo1GuL">intimate relationship</a> with the knowledge and consent of the subject at the time, or it may have been made without their knowledge. The subject may have experienced <a href="/facts/Sexual_violence/vkGvfq5m">sexual violence</a> during the recording of the material, in some cases facilitated by <a href="/facts/Psychoactive_drugs/dNXrUmsx">psychoactive chemicals</a> such as <a href="/facts/Date_rape_drug/QnKVLvcN">date rape drugs</a> which also cause a reduced sense of pain and involvement in the sexual act, dissociative effects and amnesia.
The possession of the material may be used by the perpetrators to <a href="/facts/Blackmail/KJjm5fgJ">blackmail</a> the subjects into performing other sexual acts, to coerce them into continuing a relationship or to punish them for <a href="/facts/Breakup/sHRBzFtn">ending one</a>, to silence them, to damage their reputation, and/or for financial gain. In the wake of civil lawsuits and the increasing numbers of reported incidents, legislation has been passed in a number of countries and jurisdictions to outlaw the practice, though approaches have varied and been changed over the years. The practice has also been described as a form of <a href="/facts/Psychological_abuse/QdCmjsqy">psychological abuse</a> and <a href="/facts/Domestic_violence/GcDSMDBe">domestic violence</a>, as well as a form of <a href="/facts/Sexual_abuse/33W0q0IS">sexual abuse</a>.
Revenge porn most commonly refers to the <a href="/facts/Uploading/SclWHQAb">uploading</a> of sexually explicit material to the Internet to <a href="/facts/Humiliate/ECU8IVx4">humiliate</a> and <a href="/facts/Intimidate/BmlL4x6f">intimidate</a> a subject who has broken off a relationship. The term is however also often broadly used to describe non-revenge scenarios, including nonconsensual <a href="/facts/Pornography/1chvn1Xt">pornography</a> distributed by <a href="/facts/Hacker/bhg519lj">hackers</a> or by individuals seeking profit or notoriety (often formally referred to as non-consensual intimate imagery, NCII, or image-based sexual abuse, IBSA). The images are usually accompanied by sufficient information to identify the target individual (a process known as <a href="/facts/Doxing/4BAAFeAk">doxing</a>), typically names and locations, and can include risqué comments, links to <a href="/facts/Social_media/kUIkfpIA">social media</a> profiles, home addresses, and workplaces. In some cases victims are exposed to <a href="/facts/Workplace_discrimination/xknjr7IK">workplace discrimination</a>, <a href="/facts/Cyberstalking/3qwf8Cn8">cyberstalking</a> or physical attack. Some companies search the Internet for potential sources of bad publicity, resulting in many victims of revenge porn losing their jobs and finding themselves effectively unhirable. Some academics argue that the term "revenge porn" should not be used, and instead that it should be referred to as "image-based sexual abuse."
Jurisdictions which have passed laws against revenge porn include Canada, Germany, Italy, Israel, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States (49 out of 50 <a href="/facts/US_states/PFwcRIYQ">states</a> of the United States, <a href="/facts/Washington%2c_D.C./enXPK156">Washington, D.C.</a>, the <a href="/facts/U.S._military/NHVsU9Id">U.S. military</a> and <a href="/facts/U.S._overseas_territories/NYfp1J30">U.S. overseas territories</a> including <a href="/facts/Puerto_Rico/jVStMyG4">Puerto Rico</a> and <a href="/facts/Guam/YIxcmN6A">Guam</a>). Australia has also passed a law at the Commonwealth level that commenced on 1 September 2018. The Australian states and territories of <a href="/facts/South_Australia/R7UdxV97">South Australia</a>, <a href="/facts/Victoria_(Australia)/76P2nqtz">Victoria</a>, <a href="/facts/New_South_Wales/aW7eJXSS">New South Wales</a>, the <a href="/facts/Australian_Capital_Territory/wvCnG3y7">Australian Capital Territory</a>, <a href="/facts/Northern_Territory/5BFWuuyv">the Northern Territory</a>, <a href="/facts/Queensland/lXBlIeY3">Queensland</a>, <a href="/facts/Western_Australia/1ouCbwNh">Western Australia</a>, and <a href="/facts/Tasmania/q3dubPTt">Tasmania</a>, have complementary state level laws that criminalize this behaviour. Furthermore, Australia also has a <a href="/facts/Civil_penalty/edXJLSU0">civil penalties</a> scheme.
In recent years the rise of <a href="/facts/Computer-generated_imagery/ThJ2gh1X">computer-generated imagery</a> and <a href="/facts/Synthetic_media/5SIGFwyM">synthetic media</a> technology has raised concerns about the rise of revenge porn made using <a href="/facts/Deepfake_pornography/jKwjdjt9">deepfake pornography</a> techniques. As of 2023 in the U.S. states of New York, Virginia, and California, it is illegal to <a href="/facts/Disseminate/D3eh1QDb">disseminate</a> pornographic images created using image generation technology without the consent of subjects depicted in the image. In fact, law enforcement officials in San Francisco have initiated lawsuits against websites offering "undressing" image generation used to make <a href="/facts/Deepfake_pornography/jKwjdjt9">deepfake porn</a>.

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Revenge porn