It can be devastating to discover that intimate pictures of you or your teenage son or daughter have been shared online.
Unfortunately, not all relationships or friendships last the distance and not every ex-partner deals with a relationship breakup well. Sometimes people will publish or threaten to publish online intimate photographs or videos that they obtained during the relationship as a way of causing distress or embarrassment to their former partner. This unauthorised sharing of private sexual photos or videos is called “revenge porn” and is a behaviour that is on the increase, particularly amongst young adults. It can cause great upset, distress and embarrassment to its victims and their families.
Fortunately, there are things that can be done to limit the damage. NetRights acts quickly to seek removal of the damaging content. We can write to the website hosting the images on your behalf to ask them to take it down, and issue legal proceedings against them if they don’t. We can also seek an injunction to prevent other people publishing or sharing the images. We are also likely to recommend that you contact the police as a criminal offence may have been committed.
Laura Baglow is Head of NetRights, the Social Media, Internet and Media Law department of Parnalls Solicitors. For legal advice regarding the unauthorised sharing of private images, please contact Laura at enquiries@netrights.co.uk or telephone 01566 772375. Find out more about NetRights here.
The contents of this article are for purposes of general awareness only and do not constitute legal or professional advice.
