Revenge Porn is the act of hosting personal, intimate or sexually explicit content. Generally this is photos or videos containing material ranging from casual intimacy to graphic sexual acts. Often the content are selfies taken by the victims. The Revenge part of the description is because this content has been received/uploaded onto a website by someone other than the subjects contained in the content. Generally an "ex" of some kind (ex partner/boyfriend/girlfriend or spouse/husband/wife or even ex friend/family member etc.)
What to do if you have been a victim of Revenge Porn
Click here to start your takedown Full Service DMCA Takedown.
Learn more about DMCA.com's Personal Takedown services: www.dmca.com/Takedowns/personal
The content is often uploaded and hosted along with deeply personal information
Generally the victims of revenge porn are women of all ages.
A common outcome of revenge porn is pictures or videos sent in confidence are uploaded online for everyone to see
DMCA.com has qualified, experienced experts that handle these kind of situations everyday. We have even hired female case workers to process the takedown information because most victims of revenge porn are women.
Most revenge porn cases involve private, personal photos, videos or emails posted online without permission. DMCA.com has been very successful at getting this kind of infringement removed through (DMCA) TakeDown, cease and desist notices or the accepted takedown practice in the jurisdiction of the website owner or webhosting company.
If you have been a victim of revenge porn and your personal photos or videos are published online without your permission, DMCA.com can get them removed.
Also see DMCA.com's Personal Takedown Take Action Guide
DMCA Fast Tip
The largest portion of the personal content takedown requests we see are women and teenage girls. However, wrongful publication of personal pictures can happen to anyone.
What to do when you find revenge porn published online?
- Don't Panic. Respond quickly. The faster the better. Be confident. Get help.
- Contact the police - especially if:
- You or the person in the picture or video were underage.
- The perpetrator of this crime is known to you and you never gave permission for the pictures to be shared.
- Note: Often the authorities can help with the perpetrators of the crime but are unable to act if the photos/videos have been uploaded to servers located outside their legal jurisdiction. Be prepared to deal with getting your pictures/videos taken down as a separate issue.
- Do not become a victim of extortion! Do not send money or a picture of your ID to hosting companies or website owners in order to get your content removed. This is a serious act of privacy violation and not required within any takedown process, anywhere. If you must pay to have your content taken offline it is extortion or a bribe under most laws. If you must pay or follow some other bizarre process to have your content taken offline do so with a lawyer, inform the police and where possible, have an internet specialist with you. Do not pay money to anyone - do not give in to blackmail. If you pay them once they will come back again and again.
- Find as many copies and versions as you can. You are the best person to identify this content. Often it will be cropped or altered in some way so often you can identify it the quickest. Make a list. Like a weed if you can get at the source, you can stop it from spreading. Often only one website was the source of the uploaded picture or video. It is important to get it removed from there and move on to the other sites, if there are any.
- It's wrong to assume that once your photo or video is off one website the issue is resolved. It could have been copied and uploaded somewhere else. The longer the content has been up the more likely it has spread to other networks and websites.
- Begin Processing (DMCA) Takedowns immediately! The faster the better. Do it now! Staying on top of getting your content taken down means you can stop or slow the spread. You can conduct takedowns yourself (DMCA.com has a very inexpensive DIY Program), use a lawyer or use a service like DMCA.com Professional Takedown Service. Regardless of the method you use, the quicker the better. Processing takedown can also help any legal action you have started or will start later. If you choose to conduct the process yourself here are a few important tips:
- Follow the (DMCA) Takedown process of website where you have found the pictures or video exactly. If the website has its own policy follow that.
- Do not be emotional in your description or request for removal.
- Do not tell a story or give background or incident details.
- Clearly the state facts related to the photo or picture usage - it's your picture, or you are in it and you did not give permission to be used in this manner or you own the copyright.
If you have questions about this list let us know, submit your takedown questions here: www.dmca.com/question. Be as detailed as possible. Include as many links as possible. Include complete details on content ownership and source.
Top 10 Steps to avoid being subject to revenge porn.
Suggestions to help you protect yourself
- Do NOT take pictures (or videos) of yourself in any compromising position, especially in various stages of undress - period. It sounds obvious but remember once it's digital and, on the internet, EVERYONE can see your picture or video.
- Note: Every device that has a camera is (somehow) connected to the internet.
- If you do take pictures (or videos) of yourself in the nude (or in various stages of undress) do NOT send them to anyone - period. The risk is simply too high. Even if you completely trust the person.
- What happens if their phone, or laptop or pc is stolen?
- What happens if their email is hacked? Your picture can be shared for the whole world to see.
- What happens when your relationship ends and this person decides to share your photos or videos with others.
- PARENTS (guardians, uncles, aunts and grandparents) talk to your children and pre-teens, about the dangers of taking these types of pictures. What they see as innocent play can quickly be turned into something undesirable and often with tragic consequences. An innocent picture of "mom" can make it online all too easily.
- No images or videos of your children or their friends in ANY state of undress, even jokingly is unacceptable.
- How soon should you speak to your children about this? NOW.
- As soon as they have or have access to a camera, a phone with a camera, or a webcam.
- Or when they begin to play with your phone.
- If someone takes an intimate, private, personal picture (or video) of you ask them to delete it. Make sure you see that it has been deleted. If someone has compromising pictures or video of you be firm in your request for them to delete it. Let them know you are serious about your privacy and security. Do not be intimidated. Get help if you need it. Parents, School, Police anyone with authority. In most countries the owning and distributing pictures or video of anyone "underage" is illegal.
- If the picture(s) (or videos) was taken by a professional make certain you own the copyright - no exceptions.
- Make sure you own/have the original memory card the photos (or videos) were taken on - or see they are deleted.
- Friends don't let friends get photographed (or videoed) in compromising positions or in various stages of undress. Especially when partying. This is not funny. Remember everyone at the party you are at has a camera and that camera is connected to the internet.
Gone are the days of innocently "flashing the camera".
- Do not post or upload intimate, personal pictures or videos onto any website - period. This includes all social media and dating sites.
- Friendships and intimate relationships are not always forever. Disgruntled friends, ex-boyfriends etc. are often the top offenders in posting undesirable images or videos. Even if you completely trust the individual you are sending the images to, what would happen if their phone, tablet, laptop or pc were stolen? What if their email account was hacked? Your images could end up in the wrong hands very quickly.
- Many clubs and public events have photographers that walk around taking pictures and videos. Avoid them. If you do not want to find yourself posted on an internet site - DO NOT POSE for them.
- Be clear with the photographer(s) - you do not give permission to be photographed. Where possible have a witness.
- Don’t be conned into taking ‘pretty’ pictures for a photographer who promises to make you a star. Check the credentials of anyone you are getting into a professional arrangement with and do not sign away your rights to your images. Have a professional negotiate a contract for you.
- Do not share videos of yourself through private messages. Many people begin to trust their online relationships only to be extorted once they have provided the extortionist with intimate materials to be used as a threat against them and their families.
DMCA Takedown Testimonial
My experience with DMCA has been AMAZINGLY positive! You and your team has helped pull down libelous and reputation damaging photos, link, etc. in a ridiculously short amount of time. I'm in marketing and I totally understand the value of a good testimonial. Also, I believe there is a HUGE market out there for women who are being harrassed and defamed online with photos that had been taken in the privacy and sanctity of a relationship. -KK
How long does it take to fill in the Takedown signup form
Our goal at DMCA.com is to make the process as fast and easy as possible, the DMCA.com Takedown claim form takes about 3 minutes to fill out. We will do the rest for you.
How long until my content is taken down?
The length of time for the content to be taken down from a website can be hours or days. It depends on the site and conditions of the takedown notice. One of the advantages of using a professional company like DMCA.com is experience and expertise in building and processing takedown notices.
- Experience means the team is familiar with the site where your content is located and will know what it takes to get the content removed quickly.
- Expertise means - getting it right the first time. It is critical to get notice process right the first time to not waste time in the getting the content removed.
Feel free to ask your takedown professional to provide you with an estimate of the time it will take to get your content down.
What do I need to provide for the DMCA Takedown signup form?
Three main pieces of information are needed to get started filing a DMCA Takedown Notice:
1. Infringing URL
Where on the internet (or platform like Facebook or TikTok) is your stolen content located? What is the link that you want the content removed from? Be sure to provide the URL or website/webpage link of the content you want removed. If the stolen content is an image or video located on a website provide the direct link of the content contained in the site. Copy and paste the infringing text, or provide the URL of the infringing image if required.
An example link would look like: https://www.badguy_site.com/webpage/image_2
2. Source URL
Where was your content located when it was stolen? Was it on you social media profile like Facebook or Reddit? Was it from your own website? Provide the exact URL where it was stolen from, even if the content has already been removed from it's original location. The original URL is still valuable to the notice. If it was not online you can reference cell phone, computer, or camera etc. If it was online such as a website or cloud storage provide the link to the exact page it was stolen from. You can upload the original content to a cloud storage service and provide that URL with an expalanation of where it was originally stolen from.
An example link would look like: https://share.icloud.com/photos/my_original_content
3. Description of Ownership
What is the content owner's name and how was the content stolen? How is this content yours? How do you own it? Did you create it, buy it, copyright it? Who is claiming ownership of the content? Who is authorized to file the DMCA Takedown? When did you create the content and when was the content stolen?
An example description would sound like: "My photo I took of myself on my camera was stolen from my Google Drive and was posted on this website without my knowledge and I would like it removed."
If you are unsure how to collect the information for these three categories the Professional Takedown Team at DMCA.com can help with the answers. Click here to ask us about your situation.
What if my content is on multiple websites?
Most takedown requests contain several websites or platforms. Our takedown signup form has all the space you need to add as many links as you want.
Our team is familiar with the process of multiple website takedown notices. They will help guide you through what you need to do and know.
If there is one site in particular that is of the most concern for you make sure and highlight that when you sign up for your takedown. It will help the team prioritize the work they need to do for your case.
What if I do not have a copy of the original content?
Not having source copies or information of proof can make the issue more complex, however it is a common problem.
Our team is familiar with the process of missing source information for takedown notices. They will help guide you through what you need to do and fix.
Please clearly indicate why this information is not available to add to your takedown form.
Here is Wikipedia's Definition of Revenge Porn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_porn
UK Channel4 Documentary: Revenge Porn - Documentary 2015
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- What is DMCA.com
- What is DMCA Protected Certificate
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