By now the term ‘revenge porn’ has become rather common, and most people know what it means. For those of you who haven’t heard that phrase before, revenge porn refers to the act of uploading and making public sexually explicit images and videos of someone, without their consent, as an act of revenge. In other words, posting sexually explicit pictures or videos of someone to Facebook, Craigslist a porn site on the web or any other publicly accessible site in order to ‘get back’ at them for something they did.

Usually this is done to humiliate or intimidate someone after they’ve ended a relationship. Although revenge porn has been posted by both men and women, most documented situations involve men posting pornographic images of ex-girlfriends and wives out of spite.

For those of you wondering how these people would acquire these images in the first place, in most cases, the images and videos are taken or shared consensually during the course of the relationship. When the relationship ends, however, the ‘jilted’ person gets revenge by posting these pictures and videos online without their former partner’s consent.

According to cybercivilrights.org, there are currently 37 states and Washington DC where revenge porn is illegal Although in many cases, the preferred term for such statutes is “nonconsensual pornography.” Michigan joined the ranks in April 2016, making revenge porn a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail, with fines of up to $1,000 (first offense). Any subsequent offenses would be punishable by up to one year in jail. These criminal charges and sanctions are in addition to any financial awards that a civil jury might rule in a lawsuit by the victim of revenge porn. Some of those civil verdicts are hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Revenge porn causes it’s victims a great deal of suffering.

In recent years, more and more people have spoken out about revenge porn experiences. Many women are choosing to fight the harassment in courtl, which means that the stigma attached to being a victim of revenge porn is getting smaller with each passing year. Though that doesn’t change the fact that the victims still suffer in many ways.

Some women have lost their jobs, had friendships damaged, and suffered a great deal of public humiliation. However, the social stigma and shame are only the tip of the iceberg. Many women have been stalked and harassed as a result of revenge porn. In cases where an ex posted pictures along with personally identifying information and contact information, women have been contacted by strangers who were hoping to purchase sexual services. In a few instances, the victims have committed suicide.

Join us next time, as we continue this discussion about revenge porn and look at the opposing views on the matter. Until then, if you or a loved one made the mistake of responding to a broken heart by trying to cause your former partner grief, then you’re not the first person in human history to react badly. And you won’t be the last. But there’s a huge difference between bad-mouthing your ex and posting naked pictures of them on the internet.

So if sounds like your situation, or you’ve been accused of any other type of sex crime in Michigan, contact The Kronzek Firm at 866 766 5245. Our experienced sex crime defense attorneys have spent decades defending the people of Michigan against accusations and allegations of criminal sexual behavior. We have achieved great results for many of our clients over the years, and we can help you too.