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What is Revenge Porn?
Revenge porn is nothing else. What is revenge? If someone hits us, hitting them back is revenge. Here, in the same line of thought, when an affair breaks, the partner who is hurt or unwilling to accept the end of the relationship (Boyfriend/Girlfriend) uses their partner’s private images and videos as a weapon to humiliate them in society or to destroy their life. The most common types of revenge are distributing images and videos without consent and threatening to share them.
Why We Should Be Aware of Revenge Porn
Above 90% of revenge porn victims are women.
27% of female internet users have been victims, but only 18% realize they are victims.
Marital partners often leave victims after discovering their past.
Children face depression due to bullying from classmates and society, which can strain parent-child relationships and, in some cases, lead to suicide.
The Origin of Revenge Porn
In 2010, Hunter Moore from Sacramento, California, was cheated on by his girlfriend. To take revenge, he created a website called “IsAnyoneUp.com” and uploaded her private photos and videos.
He then encouraged others, saying, If you were cheated like this, upload the video of your love affair on this website. This is the revenge we give to them. From this point, the term revenge porn started gaining attention.
Unexpectedly, the reach of this site turned him into running a revenge porn hub. He allowed many users to submit explicit images of their former partners.
He earned up to $30,000 per month from ad revenue through his site. At one point, he even hired a professional hacker to help him gather content.
The worst part is that some women willingly submitted their own photos, eager to be part of his twisted digital empire. As a result, 91% of the victims were women, with the remaining 9% being men on his website.
Finally, in 2015, he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison and fined $2,000.
In 2022, he gave an interview on Netflix. Why did you start that website? Do you know how many people lost their lives because of this? — They asked him these questions.
His answer? In a completely selfish way, he said, What should I see in my life after that? Forget the generations that existed for so long — Gen Z will be like this. Most Gen Z think that if my life is good, I don’t have to worry about other people’s lives.
The Most Recent Judgment on Revenge Porn
A recent case in Texas serves as strong evidence of the growing number of victims of ‘revenge porn’ year after year.
A woman was awarded $1.2 billion in damages. She was in a relationship, but her private photos and videos were shared online — not just on websites, but across multiple social media platforms. The man who did this even made money from those uploads.
She took legal action, claiming her life was destroyed. She couldn’t go out. She couldn’t work. Her family suffered. Finally, the court ruled that the man must pay $1.2 billion for the damage he caused. (Ref)
Right now, over 3,000 websites exist solely for image-based sexual abuse, and reports to the government’s revenge porn helpline keep increasing year after year.
Situations Where We Can Get Caught in Revenge Porn
1. Love & Trust — Thinking, “He will be with me forever,” and sharing private photos/videos.
2. Video Calls — Believing it’s safe, but the other person records it.
3. Private Moments — Taking photos/videos during intimacy, thinking they’re just for memories.
4. Hacked Devices — Saving photos/videos on phones or laptops that get hacked.
5. Fake Promises — Someone asks for photos, saying, “I just want to see you,” and then misuses them.
6. Cloud Storage & Leaks — Storing private files online, thinking they are safe.
How can we save ourselves?
Simple — don’t create proof. No photos, no videos. If there’s nothing, no one can misuse it.
1. Never trust blindly. Love, relationships — everything can change. Today’s trust can be tomorrow’s regret.
2. Avoid video calls for private moments. You never know if the other person is recording.
3. Don’t store anything on your phone or laptop.
4. Be aware of cloud storage. What’s online is no longer yours.
5. If something already exists in your current relationship, delete it yourself. Don’t ask or request them — just do it with your own hands.
6. Be cautious when giving your phone or laptop to a repair shop for hardware issues. Avoid repair shops for data recovery and software issues as much as possible.
7. Never resell your used device.