A Guide To Remove Personal Content from Revenge Websites

What is Revenge Porn?

Revenge porn, also known as non-consensual pornography, is a type of image-based abuse that occurs when a nude photo is posted online without the subject’s consent. Any kind of material—photo or video— that shows the subject in a private setting can be considered revenge porn. For it to be considered revenge porn, the publication of the content must not be motivated by extortion or retaliation.

Image source: Pixabay

In addition to seriously harming the subject’s reputation, being the target of revenge websites can have serious emotional, personal, and professional repercussions. There is a need to protect your reputation online by removing them.

How is Pornography on Revenge Usually Distributed?

A few situations exist where someone could have access to your private photos and use them in revenge websites:

With the intention of keeping it private, the victim sends another person a private image.

A hacker gains access to a victim’s computer, phone, cloud storage account, or social media app.

• A picture of the victim is taken (with or without their consent).

Once someone else obtains access to your photo, they can share it with others or even post it. There are a variety of platforms and forums such as Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or even websites. Remember this is a serious cybercrime.

What is a Revenge Website?

A website that poses as a platform for user-submitted content is known as a “revenge website.” The majority of these websites welcome user inputs. In fact, website owners frequently “scrape” or duplicate content from other websites.

When victims ask the revenge website to take down their private content, scraping content produces new content. It also gives these revenge porn websites additional chances to make money. These revenge websites frequently advertise the content as having been “leaked.”

Revenge porn websites have a troubling new trend: in addition to posting the victim’s private images, the site administrator or user investigates the victim and posts the victim’s personal details. This can include numerous images from the victim’s social media accounts. Their phone number, email address, occupation, and even their location may be included in this.

Revenge websites that want revenge are notoriously hard to deal with. They might use a variety of strategies to conceal their contact details. In exchange for taking down your content, they often demand outrageous revenge porn removal fees.

Please get in touch with our team of knowledgeable content removal attorneys if you have any questions. In case your private photos or videos have been uploaded to a revenge porn website or if you would like more information on taking them down.

The Significance of Taking Revenge Porn Off the Internet

The presence of revenge websites are incredibly harmful, and if the material spreads online, the effects may get worse over time. The issue of revenge pornography or revenge websites is not one that will go away by itself. Dealing with the issue as soon as feasible is imperative for the following reasons:

Image Source: Freepik

Content Can Proliferate Quickly

Intimate photos and media are more likely to be shared or scraped to well-known revenge websites and forums the longer they are available online. The removal of content is more costly, challenging, and time-consuming as it spreads to more websites. This can lead to online shaming and affect your reputation.

Many nations have their own prohibitions against revenge porn. For example, revenge porn that started on a U.S. website can easily move to international sites that flour U.S. law. It is far more challenging to remove as a result.

Identifying Information Is Not Permanent

A victim’s chances of identifying the individual who published the hurtful content on revenge websites are negatively correlated with the length of time they wait to take action. IP addresses and subscriber data are not kept on websites or by Internet service providers (ISPs) eternally. As a matter of course, many ISPs follow their standard retention policy and remove material 90–180 days after it is published.

Often, the only way to identify the person that posted the revenge porn is through this subscriber data. It is crucial to act fast in order to obtain this data from revenge websites.

Revenge Porn Is Bad for Your Mental and Professional Health

Being the target of such intrusive and dehumanizing conduct can seriously harm an individual’s emotional state. A 2014 study published in the Richmond Journal of Law & Technology found that between 80 and 93 percent of victims of revenge porn had severe mental suffering. These ranged from despair to suicidal thoughts and feelings of wrath and shame.

Employment and professional standings may be impacted if a victim’s search results contain photographs that are considered intimate. The consequences for the victim’s employment might be disastrous when an employer or recruiter discovers nude images of them in search results. When their private images are discovered on websites that promote revenge porn, victims of revenge porn may be asked to quit, get fired, or be screened out of job chances.

How to Take Down Revenge Porn on the Internet

Depending on your circumstances, the revenge website or websites where the media was put, and the kind of content used. There are several steps involved in getting revenge porn off the Internet. Your lawyer might recommend one or more of the following choices:

Communicate with the Content Creator and Request That They Take It Down

Contacting the original content creator and asking them to take down the offensive material off the revenge website is sometimes the best way to get rid of revenge porn.

The victim may get a cease and desist letter from an attorney threatening legal action. This can occur if the offending party does not take quick action to remove the information, help remove it, or pay the costs of having revenge porn removed.

It is not always necessary for a lawyer to write a confrontational letter. Occasionally, contacting someone via phone or email is the best line of action. What is specific to your scenario will determine this.

Send a Letter to the Website Requesting That the Content be Removed

Try to get in touch with the revenge website hosting the sensitive content and ask them to take it down right away. The validity of the website in question is typically a determining factor in the effectiveness of this course of action.

A popular social media platform might be easier to work with and more responsive than a revenge porn website that operates from abroad to avoid detection by law authorities.

Certain websites only allow removal requests if you are willing to pay a processing charge. Paying a processing charge to get something removed from a website that was published without your knowledge or authorization may sound dishonorable. But it is usually less expensive and faster than getting a court order.

Notify Google of Revenge Porn

Removing the offending URL from Google search results is an excellent way to get rid of revenge porn. This is frequently done in conjunction with other strategies. The best way to accomplish this is to send Google a notice using their retaliation porn portal.

You can usually get temporary respite by sending a notice to Google. This will stop casual Google users from finding explicit images. But, this doesn’t address the root of the issue. Retaliation pornography reports to Google do not erase the URL from the web. Even if someone types your name directly into the website, they will still be able to find the website and your image using other search engines.

You might need to submit this request more than once because Google can be picky about it. You don’t have to wait for legal counsel to take this action. However, it could be beneficial to ask for advice if your submissions are rejected.

Write a Contract for Copyright Assignment

You might need to buy the rights through a copyright assignment agreement if you don’t possess the copyright to the intimate photos. You can delete them from revenge websites by submitting a DMCA request.

You can use a copyright assignment agreement to get ownership of an image’s copyright. This will help you use copyright infringement as a removal tactic.

You can use this in any scenario when you didn’t capture the personal portrait of yourself. This covers circumstances in which images were taken by a qualified photographer.

In order to obtain ownership over the photographs and remove them, you can prepare a copyright assignment agreement. Then move on to negotiate copyright ownership of your work with the assistance of an experienced Internet or copyright attorney.

File a Porn Lawsuit for Revenge

Taking legal action against the perpetrator may occasionally be your best bet for getting the offending content removed. Getting a court order will help take down revenge porn from the revenge website. It will also pay you back for any harm that was caused by your private material being made public.

You may have multiple legal claims, depending on the jurisdiction. Apart from allegations of revenge porn, one may also face privacy concerns. These can be allegations of cyberstalking or online harassment, allegations of sexual harassment, or accusations of cyber blackmail. Furthermore, you might be successful in obtaining a restraining order against the perpetrator.

How to Get Ready to Speak with a Lawyer

When you’ve determined that you need to get help from a professional, you should be ready with the necessary information. The four actions listed below will better prepare your lawyer to handle your revenge porn matter as soon as possible.

Image Source: Pixabay

Make a List of All the URLs That Lead to the Content You Can Locate

Check out what appears in your search results when you Google yourself. In order to reduce the likelihood that sensitive content will appear higher in your search results, we advise utilizing an incognito browser.

Using the intimate photograph as a starting point, one can perform a reverse image search to find revenge porn. They can also determine the number of websites hosting the content across revenge websites. Although it is a fantastic place to start, this will not identify every social media platform where your photographs might be posted.

Do You Know Who Took the Picture or Video?

Think for a moment about who took the alleged personal or naked picture. Did you share the pictures with a close friend or were they lover selfies? Were they taken by a photographer or by a partner?

The owner of the copyright to a photo or video is the person who took it. This does not imply that they can post it online or on pornographic websites without your permission. Rather, your lawyer will need to know who owns the copyright. So as to evaluate the circumstances and determine the most effective strategy for getting the explicit material removed.

Determine Who Posted the Information

If the person who uploaded the content online was not the photographer, find out who did it. It is a good idea to start with a past intimate partner, as they are typically the source of revenge porn.

You will have more choices for removal and a better possibility of getting legal damages against the person who uploaded your private content if you know who did it. Make a list of everyone you believe may have had a possible access to the content.

A list of potential suspects could be useful for the lawyer, even if it’s not necessary to know who posted your stuff in order to get it removed.

Is the Content Linked to Any Threatening Messages?

Take a screenshot of whatever you can if you have gotten any threatening communications about the revenge porn in issue. Do not get rid of any messages. These documents might be crucial in locating the offender who hurt you. They are crucial to putting an end to the illegal distribution and publication of revenge porn on revenge websites.

Evidence of threats you have received in relation to the content may be useful in establishing an online extortion case. Furthermore, records of the direct messages can provide enough of a data trail to identify the attacker responsible for the first attack.

Safeguard Your Privacy on Social Media

Lastly, make sure every social media account you have is set to private or temporarily deactivated. Retaliation porn sites are more likely to locate your social media accounts. They can harvest stuff from them for albums containing your personal images, which is a worrying development.

Work With Blue Ocean Global Technology to Remove the Content

We defend victims of revenge porn at Blue Ocean Global Technology. In times of such frightening and embarrassing moments, our goal is to tactfully defend you while remaining discrete and kind.

We help you in getting rid of revenge porn from revenge websites and sue the persons who are targeting them for damages.

We thoroughly examine your search results and create a targeted plan to get rid of the content as soon as possible.

Furthermore, we assist our clients in keeping an eye on their search engine rankings even after content removal.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are revenge websites illegal?

There is currently no particular federal legislation that forbids revenge pornography. Some of the actions taken in these cases may be relevant to other federal crimes. Federal criminal legislation, for instance, prohibits the dissemination of sexual photographs that deceive minors (those under the age of eighteen).

2. What is a revenge website?

Disgruntled ex-lovers frequently develop revenge websites where they post disparaging information about their previous significant other or others. The posts may take the shape of movies, images, or blogs.

3. How do I get a website taken down for having illegal content?

You must notify the website owner or hosting business in writing that they are violating your copyright and ask them to delete the offending content in order to file a DMCA takedown complaint.