Revenge Porn Sites - How To Get Photos Removed

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Okay, when we say the worst thing about the web, we might be exaggerating, though not by much. There are plenty of corners of Reddit that make vindictive exes almost look like nice guys. But still, the world of "revenge porn" is a dirty one.

A number of stories have made headlines over the last few months concerning people — mostly young women — who've found their own private, nude photos published online by their angry exes. It's exploitative, it's disgusting, it's enough to seriously mess up someone's life. The sites that host these photos are quickly becoming the battleground in regulation of this murky area, as both state and federal bodies attempt to implement legislation preventing the posting and hosting of these photos. But everyone knows the Internet is nearly impossible to keep tabs on.

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First and foremost, if this happens to you and you encounter a business offering its services to have these photos removed, don't buy it. These are almost always fake, sometimes even false legal credentials involved, and usually run by the same people hosting the photos in the first place. Sadly, and kind of shockingly, right now there's no legal channel to have this stuff removed (though criminal penalties are in the works in many states). According to
The Guardian, hosting sites are protected by the Communications Decency Act, which holds the creator of the content liable. So, if you sent your boyfriend a personal photo because you loved and trusted him at the time, and then he posts it to a certified community of pervs after you break up, that's your fault. Right. Makes perfect sense.

The crazy thing is that even if laws are put in place, they probably won't do anything. A number of these site owners have been served with lawsuits, and just ignored them. One kingpin's response was to simply send a lewd photo to the plaintiff (classy, huh?). So, what can you do? Well, call it out. Voice your disgust. Give them a taste of their own medicine, and humiliate these people in the public forums of the Internet for the greedy, bottom-feeding folks they are. The Guardian suggests that public condemnation is the best solution. Well, consider this our condemnation. Yuck.