What is Revenge Porn?

According to EndRevengePorn.org and CyberCivilRights.org, revenge porn is defined as “A form of sexual assault that involves the distribution of nude/sexually explicit photos and/or videos of an individual without their consent. Revenge porn, sometimes called cyber-rape or non-consensual pornography, is usually posted by a scorned ex-lover or friend, in order to seek revenge after a relationship has gone sour.” The act of someone distributing private, sexually explicit images and/or videos without your consent can be devastating.

If you are a revenge porn victim, there are some steps that you can take to protect yourself. First and foremost, do not blame yourself. If someone posted your private images or videos without your consent, it is NOT your fault. We know the situation can be devastating but there are ways to fight back.

Two Different Types of Revenge Porn

There are really two different types of revenge porn. There is the situation where the perpetrator posts your name with the nude images. Usually this type of post will also include personal data about you such as your place of employment, your address, etc. This is the worst kind of revenge porn in our opinion. This type of revenge porn is more devastating to the victims because anyone searching their name on the internet can easily locate the unauthorized posts. In most cases, those who have become victims of this type of revenge porn subscribe to our reputation management plans. The reputation management plans not only include removing the private images but they also include building a safety net around the victim’s name. We build positive links targeting the victim’s name and as we do so, we use SEO tactics to push those links to the first few pages in search engines. By doing this we are able to ensure that if someone were to search the victim’s name, it is not likely the negative links would show on the first few pages of Google or Bing. If you feel that you need online reputation management, please contact us. The other type of revenge porn is where the victim’s private images have been posted yet their name is not attached to the online abuse. This type of abuse, while not as devastating as having their name attached to it, it is still very damaging and scary to the victim. In either scenario, we have been assisting victims of revenge porn since 2011 and can help you as well.

Social Media

Sometimes your social media profile link will be added to a revenge porn post. This allows strangers to contact you directly through your social media accounts. Often times, a victim’s immediate response is to shut down all social media. Please don’t do that unless absolutely necessary. Because revenge porn sites have a lot of content, they usually rank high in the search engines. If you deactivate your social media profiles, someone searching your name in the search engines will likely only see the “negative” search results, the revenge porn posts. That means that a potential employer or current employer will have a better chance of seeing the revenge porn post, rather than your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or other “positive” social media profiles.

Instead of deleting your social media accounts, we suggest that you set those to private so that only people already connected to you will be able to contact you. We also suggest that you protect your “Friends List” on Facebook so that the perpetrator or visitors of the revenge porn sites will not be able contact your friends and family. Yes, it does happen and it can be scary so it is best to secure your social media profiles so that it doesn’t happen to you.

If your images were posted to one of the social media sites, they each provide a way for you to have the images removed. Twitter has recently let it be known that they ban revenge porn posts. To send a DMCA takedown to Twitter, you would need to fill out their online form located here: https://support.twitter.com/forms/dmca. If someone has posted your private information to Twitter you can get help by filling out the privacy form located here: https://support.twitter.com/forms/private_information Instagram is now a very popular site and we have had several victims tell us their images were posted to the site. Here is their contact form for a DMCA takedown: https://help.instagram.com/contact/539946876093520 If your images have been posted to Facebook, you can request that they be removed by filling our their DMCA form located here: https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/208282075858952

Thankfully, all of the above social media sites now have a process to help victims of revenge porn. If you have any problems with contacting them, please send us an email. We would be happy to help.

Make a Police Report

We suggest that all victims of revenge porn go to the police station and file a report. If law enforcement personnel try to send you away, demand to speak to someone else. Don’t take no for an answer. You need to document this type of abuse. Revenge porn is a form of ABUSE. Be sure to keep all records such as text messages, emails, and any other type of correspondence from the perpetrator. If you are in a state or region where revenge porn is not yet illegal, you should still consider going to the authorities. We know of situations where the police were able charge the perpetrator with harassment or other related crimes. Be sure to visit cybercivilrights.org to check out their updated page on the states that have revenge porn laws.

If you are in a state where the law against revenge porn is in place, please print out the law and take it to the police station when you go to file your report. These laws are still new so to avoid getting the run around, it is best to have the law printed and in your hands when you visit the police station. Carrie Goldberg, a trusted New York attorney, has also put together a list of states that currently have revenge porn laws and she does a great job of keeping the page updated. You can check that out by visiting the link on her website at http://www.cagoldberglaw.com/states-with-revenge-porn-laws. If you are in need of an attorney in New York, she gets rave reviews from other victims of revenge porn.

Are You An Underage Victim of Revenge Porn?

If you are a victim of revenge porn and you are currently underage, please contact us. We are committed to offering FREE services to all underage victims so please don’t be afraid to reach out to us. Remember that you have nothing to be ashamed of and that everything you share with us will be confidential. We are here to help you.

Remove Your Images From the Websites

Some sites make it very easy for you to contact them to have your images taken off of their sites. Most sites related to revenge porn do not make it easy. The WARP (Women Against Revenge Porn) website has some very helpful information about how to file a DMCA takedown yourself. Go to womenagainstrevengeporn.com and click “Photo Removal” on their site’s menu. Then click “Submit a DMCA notice.”  There you will find a template for a DMCA Notice as well as some contact information for some of the biggest offenders of revenge porn sites. Alternately, you may be able to find contact information for the site owner by searching the domain name on DomainTools.com. Remember, you want to contact the site owner and the host, not the “registrar” shown on the listed whois information. If you don’t have the time to do this or find the task overwhelming, we offer our services to victims of revenge porn at discounted rates.

Remove Your Images From the Search Engines

Major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing (Microsoft) offer ways to remove your images from search results. All 3 companies now have a procedure in place that can assist victims of revenge porn in removing their private images. Please remember, Google, Bing, and Yahoo do not own the internet. They can only remove items from their own search results. That does not mean that those same images have been removed from the websites they were posted to.

Submit a DMCA takedown to Bing

Submit DMCA takedown to Yahoo

Bing Nude Image Removal Request

Yahoo Nude Image Removal Request

For consistently updated information on new revenge porn laws, you can also visit Attorney Carrie Goldberg’s website here: http://www.cagoldberglaw.com/states-with-revenge-porn-laws/ or EndRevengePorn.org here: http://www.cybercivilrights.org/revenge-porn-laws/
Even if your state is not listed, there are other laws you can try to use if you are sure you know who posted your images. There are laws for stalking, harassment, etc. that may apply to your case. For some examples, the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative lists those laws here: http://www.cybercivilrights.org/related-laws/

If you need our help in removing your images from a revenge porn site, please use the contact form below. You do not have to provide your real name on the contact form. Our friendly staff are standing by to help you remove the content. Once the contact inquiry is received, please allow 24 hours for us to get back with you.