The battle to wipe out revenge porn continues

In the wake of the Fappening, online porn and nudity has been thrust into the public consciousness once again. But porn is about much more than titillating celebrity photos -- even if research shows that we're finding it easier to waste our time online when we should be getting on with work. Revenge porn is on the rise, and steps are being taken to try to thwart its progress. As the Fappening showed us, taking saucy pictures of oneself or partner is far from uncommon. This is fun and exciting in the middle of a relationship, but if that relationship should break down, there's no knowing what could happen to those pictures and videos.

Disgruntled partners may decide to get revenge on their former lovers by sharing those intimate photos and movies online, or it may be obtained by a third party and used as a tool for bribery. Many US states have outlawed the practice, and now the UK is following suit.

New legislation is due to be introduced that will criminalize revenge porn, opening up guilty parties to a potential two year imprisonment. Some have argued that existing blackmail and obscenity laws should be enough, but by explicitly singling out revenge porn as a specific, individual crime, potential loopholes are closed. While revenge porn is most prevalent online, the new laws will also cover printed material.

The law specifically applies to photos and videos that feature people in sexual poses, engaged in sex acts, or displaying their genitals, and it will cover files that are shared by email in addition to those posted online. The Guardian quotes justice secretary Chris Grayling as saying:

The fact that there are individuals who are cruelly distributing intimate pictures of their former partners without their consent is almost beyond belief. We want those who fall victim to this type of disgusting behaviour to know that we are on their side and will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.

It is legislation that will be welcomed by privacy advocates who have been disturbed by the number of instances of revenge porn being posted to the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

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