Let’s start with a simple fact – revenge porn is wicked. The reason behind it doesn’t matter, even if it’s a righteous one. How can it be when it will leave the victim everlasting mental torture? Revenge porn is rampant nowadays, thanks to easy access to the internet. Although laws have been put in place criminalising the act in many countries, the internet is still filled with revenge porn photos and videos.
One of the major factors of revenge porn is painful breakups. The perpetrators use this measure to get back at their ex. It is also a means of blackmail from crooks who want something from their victims. To know more about revenge porn, continue reading below.
What is revenge porn?
Gov.uk defines revenge porn as sharing private, sexual materials, either photos or videos, of another person without their consent and to cause embarrassment or distress. These explicit content are often accompanied by personal information about the subject, including their full name, address, and links to their social media profiles. And they are done without the victim’s consent. It also can be psychologically damaging for the victim.
How to prevent revenge porn
You can protect yourself from revenge porn if you take the following steps:
Don’t take naked pictures or videos of yourself
No matter how tempting it is, avoid taking naked photos or videos of yourself. Yeah, it’s your body, and you can do anything you like with it, but remember that it will become public content should your videos or photos get into the wrong hands. What about taking and deleting them? Here’s a fact. Once you take photos or videos, they automatically get copied to the Cloud. If you sync your phone to your computer, that’s three copies of the same explicit content. May God help you if you become a victim of hacking.
Don’t allow anyone take explicit content of you
No matter how the love is doing you, do not allow that boyfriend or girlfriend to take any explicit videos or photos of you. Even if you’re married sef, anything can happen. Your content may fall into the wrong hand due to carelessness, or your partner can use them against you should you break up or divorce.
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Your abroad boyfriend asking you to share naked photos and videos of yourself to help him whenever he “catches cold” is not a good person. Your naughty girlfriend that is asking you to send her photos of your penis is a witch. Don’t do it. If they don’t use it to get back to you in the future, someone else will. Remember, every content you put on the internet automatically goes to the Cloud. That means they are there for any hacker’s grab.
Don’t be scared to ask someone to delete your explicit content
In case your partner takes a video or photo of you naked or having sex without your consent, it’s your right to tell him or her to delete them immediately. Even if they want to sweet talk you into saving them, use spiritual earplugs to block your ears. Gently and firmly tell them you’re not comfortable with the idea of having your private business on any devices. If they truly care about you, they will comply. If not, well gbege don start.
Protect your devices
If you belong to the woke generation that doesn’t like to listen and actually go ahead to create explicit content of yourself, have the good sense to protect your devices so nobody can have access but you. Learn how to use passwords. Install security software on your phone and PC to protect against hackers who can download them for future revenge porn leaks or blackmail attempts.
What to do if you are a target of revenge porn
Are you a victim of revenge porn? The following steps will help you take care of it:
Stop blaming yourself
The first feelings a victim of revenge porn feels are guilt and shame. What has happened has happened. You can’t go back to undo it. So, get out of that guilty and shameful bubble and start plans to remedy your situation.
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Find out laws about revenge porn in your area
There are laws against revenge porn in some countries. Find out if such laws exist in your area and follow the necessary steps.
Report to the police
Nigerian police are known for shaming people for allowing certain things to happen to them. This shouldn’t deter you from doing the right thing. At least, it will be on record that you reported to the appropriate authorities.
Talk to an attorney
Your lawyer will provide adequate guidelines for you to deal with your case legally. Worse comes to worst; they will represent you in court.
Follow the steps in the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative’s Online Removal Guide
File a report to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, Tumblr, Google, Yahoo, Bing, or any other platform where your content was released to remove them. There are laws mandating these platforms to stop sharing reported content. Find out the laws and follow the necessary steps.
Revenge porn and the law
In Nigeria, the Criminal Code Act 2004 and the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act 2015 are the enactments that somewhat made provisions for Revenge Porn. Section 170 of the Criminal Code Act provides thus;
Any person who knowingly sends, or attempts to send, by post anything which;
(a) encloses anything, whether living or inanimate, of such a nature as to be likely to injure any other thing in the course of conveyance, or to injure any person; or
(b) encloses an indecent or obscene print, painting, photograph, lithograph, engraving, book, card, or article, or which has on it, or in it, or on its cover, any indecent, obscene, or grossly offensive words, marks, or designs;
is guilty of a misdemeanor and is liable to imprisonment for one year.
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Revenge porn statistics
According to a 2017 study by the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, nearly 1 in 8 social media users are victims, with women being 1.7 times more likely to experience this than men. UK safer Internet Centre partner SWGfL, launched a 2021 report showing the trends and issues that were prominent throughout the past year. In their findings, cases increased by over 40% between 2020 and 2021, rising from 3,146 cases to 4,406.
In the United States, an estimated 1 in 12 adults reports being victims of image-based abuse. The report also says that 1 in 20 US adults said they had been perpetrators of image-based abuse. Young people aged15–29 are most likely to report being threatened by revenge porn sharing. Young people 18–29 are most likely to report having publicly posted intimate photos of them without consent. Individuals from low-income households and people of colour are most likely victims.
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