‘Revenge porn’

Also called intimate image abuse or non-consensual pornography. This is when someone shares – or threatens to share – intimate images or videos of you without your consent. They may do this online or via social media, such as subscription websites or porn sites. Or share/threaten to share them with your friends, family members or other people you know.

Perpetrators use ‘revenge porn’/intimate image abuse to harm, shame and extort their victims. (Extort means to gain something by force, threats or other unfair means.) They may also do this to control or coerce someone. Eg to stop someone from leaving a relationship where they’re being abused.

Sextortion

Also called sexually coercive exploitation, sexual extortion or webcam blackmail. Sextortion involves the threat of sharing images or videos – often ‘nudes’ or sexually explicit content – to extort money or force someone to do something against their will.

Perpetrators may use fake identities to befriend victims online. They’ll trick, coerce or threaten a victim to send intimate videos or images. Or they may record sexual content without their consent or knowledge during an online sexual exchange via webcam or the camera on a device. They then use the material to blackmail the person, usually demanding further sexual content or money. They also often threaten to share the content online or with the victim’s family, friends or others.

Deepfakes

Deepfakes are digitally altered images, videos or audio. A perpetrator may use AI (artificial intelligence) technology to create or transform an image of someone into a sexually explicit image or video. You may have also heard this called synthetic sexual content, deepfake porn, fake porn or morphing.

A perpetrator can make someone appear as if they’re saying or doing something that they’re not. Eg they can use an image of one person’s face and insert it into a video of another (often pornography or footage of a sexual act). Other forms of technology, sometimes called ‘deepnudes’, allows a perpetrator to upload an image of a clothed victim and the app or software ‘strips’ someone of their clothing, creating a fake ‘nude’ image of the victim.

Threats to share

The fear of your images being shared, or not knowing whether a perpetrator has material of you, can be deeply upsetting, stressful and worrying. Threats to share your images or videos without your consent can be used to control or intimidate you, especially if you’re experiencing domestic abuse or coercive or controlling behaviour from a partner, friend or family member.

Threatening to share your intimate image without your consent is an offence, whether or not the image exists, and the perpetrator could face a prison sentence.

Cyberflashing

This is a form of indecent exposure that happens online or by text message. It’s when someone sends you an unwanted image or video of their genitals (or of someone else’s). You may have heard this called a ‘dick pic’. Perpetrators may be someone you know or a stranger. They may do this by email, text message or WhatsApp, over social media, on a dating app or website, or during a video call. Perpetrators may also use an app or feature such as AirDrop to send someone – including strangers – an unwanted image or video.

Upskirting

When someone takes a photograph underneath your clothing without your permission. This is often done to view your genitals or buttocks, with or without underwear, for sexual gratification (sexual arousal or pleasure) and/or to cause you fear, alarm or humiliation. Upskirting is violating and intrusive, and may make you feel vulnerable and distressed. Perpetrators often do it in a busy or crowded public space, as it can be harder to spot. Upskirting became an offence in England and Wales in 2019 under The Voyeurism (Offences) Act.

Downblousing, where an image is taken down someone’s top without their consent, has been targeted in new guidance from the CPS.