Crusader Against Revenge Porn Making Progress

Revenge porn is one of the worst byproducts of the internet age, and has created thousands of victims, some of whom are still not aware that it has happened.

In a typical example of revenge porn, after a relationship breakup, one of the parties posts nude or compromising pictures of the other to the internet, usually on a site that specializes in hosting these embarrassing photos. Until now, victims in revenge porn cases have had little recourse to get the pictures removed – sometimes the sites will reportedly remove them for a substantial fee and sometimes they won’t. As distasteful as this practice is, current law does not require the site owner to remove the pictures or be subject to any penalties.

This month California legislators introduced a bill that will make distributing sexually explicit photos or video without the subject’s consent illegal. While similar legislation failed to pass in Florida this year, proponents of the California bill seem to be optimistic.

Enter Holly Jacobs, whose own story of how she is battling revenge porn can be found on her website. End Revenge Porn offers resources for victims of revenge porn, and this week Holly reached out via email to her followers asking for help in making criminalizing distribution of revenge porn a priority.

From Holly’s email this week:

"I am THRILLED to let you all know that state legislators have started contacting me, expressing interest in creating laws that would criminalize revenge porn. They are seeking revenge porn victims within their states that will testify in favor of these laws.  

Currently, I am in dire need of victims to testify for a state law in Georgia and California.

Also, if you would be willing to speak to the press (anonymously, pseudonymously, or under your full name) about your experience as a victim, please let me know this as well."

Interested in being part of the solution? You can follow this link to her site to sign up. All she needs is your name and contact information, and as she indicates above, you can remain anonymous if you choose.

Please feel free to share this with your friends, especially if you know anyone who has been the victim of revenge porn. It’s time to speak up and help make a change.

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