About Revenge pornography

Revenge pornography refers to the act of circulating private and sexually explicit images and videos of sexual acts online without the consent of the individual.

The private sexual act recorded by an intimate partner is used to intimidate, humiliate, blackmail, coerce, commit sextortion or punish the victim as an act of revenge, on a public platform.

Why should we be concerned?

Revenge porn damages your social image & reputation, you face humiliating, degrading remarks and messages and are trolled mercilessly, it leaves you emotionally, mentally and psychologically scarred for life.

Few pointers / warning signs

• Receiving indecent remarks or comments from members in the group.
• Indecent comments from friends and colleagues
• Having a failed  affair with someone in past.
• Threats from ex-boyfriend for sexual or monetary favors.
• Receiving indecent remarks or comments from members in the group.
• Indecent comments from friends and colleagues
• Having a failed affair with someone in past.
• Threats from ex-boyfriend for sexual or monetary favors.

How can we safeguard ourselves against such offence?

It is quite important to understand and be aware of the possible dangers o

f the offence and take appropriate care and caution before hand to protect yourself. Mentioned below are few helpful tips-

• Set limits to your online/ offline friendships and never go overboard
• Remember that anything shared online will remain in cyber space and can be misused any time.
• Be cautious while sharing or taking intimate pictures or videos, remember relationships may turn sour.
• Do not pursue or engage in maintaining relation with someone who pressurizes you to share personal intimate pictures or videos.

• Do not forward any sexual pictures or images as it is violation of trust and in case can be a serious crime too.

What action can you take in case you find yourself

 affected by revenge pornography?

1. Register a complaint online on cybercrime.gov.in. You have an option to register such crimes anonymously too.
2. Register a complaint in nearest cybercrime police station.

Know about what the law says with regard to this offence?

various sections of the Indian Penal code, 1860 (IPC) and the Information Technology Act, 2000 (amended in 2008), are used to convict the offenders which do not fully beset the nuances of revenge porn.

The act of revenge porn for the purposes of the IPC attracts a conviction under Section 292, 354C, 499 and 509. The relevant provisions and what they entail are enclosed below:

292: Distribution or circulation of obscene material.
354C: Capturing or dissemination of pictures of a woman engaged in a private act without her consent
499: Act done by a person intending to harm or having a reason to believe the same would harm an individual’s reputation or character.
509: Act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.

With respect to the IT act, revenge porn attracts prosecution under Sections 66E, 67, 67A and 72 of the Act. The relevant provisions and what they address are enclosed below:

S.66E: Violation of privacy; Publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form
S.67: Publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act, etc. in electronic form
S.67A: Publishing electronic material containing sexually explicit act
S.72: Breach of confidentiality and privacy

Additionally, other laws also have their application in such situations such as Section 4 and 6 of Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, (IRWA) which prevents publishing of photographs (among other things) which contain indecent representation of women. Further additional provisions of various statutes may also be used depending on the facts and circumstances of the given cases.