The issue of revenge porn has become a massive concern in the last decade and the UK government is the latest putting in place laws to make it illegal.
Revenge porn is the term coined for sexually explicit images publicly shared online without the consent of the individual photographed.
Yesterday, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling spoke at the passing of the amendment to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, stating that authorities would do everything in their power to “bring offenders to justice”.
“The fact that there are individuals who are cruelly distributing intimate pictures of their former partners without their consent is almost beyond belief,” he said.
“We want those who fall victim to this type of disgusting behaviour to know that we are on their side”.
The new laws also cover images distributed over social media, including those passed on physically and sent via text message.
“That is why we will change the law and make it absolutely clear to those who act in this way that they could face prison”, Grayling continued.
The issue of copyright is often raised when discussing the topic of revenge porn. If a photograph is taken as a ‘selfie’, then said image belongs to the photographer.
Those found guilty will face a two-year maximum sentence.
In more serious sexual offence cases, where revenge porn is used to blackmail the victim into sex, the offender can face up to 14 years in prison under existing laws.
