Experiences of Individuals Who Have had Illicit Images Shared Without Their Consent

在社交媒体和智能手机的时代，拍摄和传输图像给地球仪上的大量人从未如此容易。同样，个人创造和获取露骨的性材料从未如此容易。2015年，英国出台了一项新法律，规定未经同意分享私人性图像可判处最高两年监禁。这项法律的制定是为了将一种通常被定义为“报复性色情”的行为定为犯罪，这种行为被定义为未经主体同意传播性图像。这些图像本身可能是未经同意拍摄的，也可能是双方同意拍摄但未经主体批准而分享的，或者是由于黑客攻击而拍摄和传播的。自该法律通过以来，对这一罪行的报道大大增加，而且这些事件经常成为头条新闻。从发布数百张女性名人私人性图片的名人iCloud黑客，到发现自己成为非自愿图像共享受害者的个人，似乎任何人都可以成为受害者。可以预见的是，未经同意分享非法图像的后果可能是严重的。这个研究项目的目的是采访那些在未经同意的情况下在网上分享自己的非法图像的人。它的目的是探索这些图像的发布对个人的严重性，包括对他们的心理健康，职业生涯以及与他人的关系的影响。此外，它会质疑个人采取了什么步骤（如果有的话）来控制这些图像并寻求正义。这可能是一个正式的程序，例如向警方报告事件，或向托管网站报告图像。它还可以包括非正式行动，例如直接面对犯罪人。最后，它的目的是检查这些图像的共享是否导致了个人行为的变化-例如，他们是否改变了他们的图像共享习惯。这项研究将提供急需的深入了解那些因这种罪行而受害的人的经历的信息，并提供证据表明需要改进支持或立法。研究非自愿分享性图像的禁忌性质使其变得更加重要。通过采访受这种犯罪影响的个人，这项研究将让那些在正常情况下可能感到不舒服或无法讨论他们的经历的人发出声音。此外，由于将该行为定为刑事犯罪的立法是最近才制定的，这项研究将有助于评估法律的有效性，这是其他研究中缺乏的问题。那些经历过犯罪的人是否认为法律为他们提供了适当的保护？关于有这些经历的人的研究很少-由于未经同意在网上分享图像的行为是最近才发生的，关于这个主题的文献比其他性犯罪少得多。因此，本研究报告打算为其他人的工作作出贡献，帮助更全面地了解成为这一罪行受害者意味着什么。这项研究的参与者必须是18岁以上的个人，他们声称在未经同意的情况下分享了自己的非法图像。尽管一些类似的研究重点关注女性的经历，但该项目不会有性别限制，因为这可能会导致合格的男性参与者被淘汰并失去有价值的观点。将尽一切努力招募各种人口统计数据的参与者，包括年龄，种族和宗教。本研究的数据将通过定性访谈收集，以最好地获得有关个人感受，想法和经验的信息。此外，该研究项目将非常小心地处理这样一个敏感的话题，以最高的道德考虑，尽可能减少对参与者的伤害。

In the age of social media and the smartphone, it has never been easier to take and transfer images to a huge number of people across the globe. Similarly, it has never been easier for individuals to create and access sexually explicit material. In 2015, a new law was introduced in the UK to make sharing private sexual images without consent punishable by up to 2 years in prison. This law was created to criminalise an act popularly defined as 'revenge porn', defined as the circulation of sexual images without the subject's consent. The images themselves may have been taken without consent, consensually taken but shared beyond the subject's approval, or taken and distributed as aresult of hacking. Since the law was passed, reporting of the crime has increased considerably, and incidences frequently make headlines. From the celebrity iCloud hack that released hundreds of private sexual images of female celebrities, to individuals who have found themselves the victim of non-consensual image sharing, it seems that anyone can be made a victim. Predictably, the repercussions of having illicit images shared without consent can be severe. This research project aims to interview individuals who have had illicit images of themselves shared online without their consent. It would aim to explore the severity that the release of these images had on the individuals, including repercussions on their mental health, their careers, and their relationships with others. Additionally, it would question what steps (if any) the individual took to take control of these images and find justice. This could be a formal proceeding, such as reporting the incident to the police, or reporting the images to the hosted website. It could also include informal actions, such as confronting the perpetrator directly. Finally, it would aim to examine if the sharing of these images has caused changes to the behaviour of the individual - for instance, have they changed their image sharing habits. The study would offer much needed insight into the experiences of those victimised by this crime and could offer evidence that improved support or legislation is needed. Studying the non-consensual sharing of sexual images is made all the more important by its taboo nature. By interviewing individuals affected by this crime, the study will give voice to people who may feel uncomfortable or incapable discussing their experiences under normal circumstances. Furthermore, as legislation criminalising the act is so recent, this study will contribute to assessing the effectiveness of the law, a question which is lacking in other studies. Do those who have experienced the offence feel that the law has defended them appropriately? There have been only a few studies regarding individuals with these experiences - as the act of sharing images online without consent is so recent, there is much less literature on this topic than other sexual crimes. Therefore, this study intends to contribute to the work of others, helping to create a more comprehensive and well-rounded picture of what it means to fall victim to this crime. The participants for this study must be individuals over the age of 18, who claim to have had illicit images of themselves shared without their consent. Although some similar studies focus on the experiences of women, no gender restrictions will be placed for this project, as it could result in the elimination of eligible male participants and the loss of a valuable perspective. Every effort would be made to recruit participants across a wide range of demographics, including age, ethnicity, and religion. Data for this study will be collected via qualitative interviews, to best gain information regarding the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of the individual. Additionally, the research project would take great care to handle such a sensitive topic to the highest of ethical considerations, minimising harm for the participant as much as possible.