When love moments are sold on porn sites
Non-consensual pornography a big problem
A couple in Mumbai was shocked when they found a private intimate video of them shot by a stranger and uploaded on a porn site. A similar incident was reported in Cyberabad, but in that case the culprit turned out to be the husband. Cyber crime investigators say that these private videos or pictures are often shot by the male partner and used as a weapon in case of dispute or to blackmail.
The act of uploading videos of strangers without their approval is technically called non-consensual pornography. It is usually an act of vengeance to circulate sexually graphic images or upload the video on public websites and porn sites, Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.
Inspector Mohammad Riyazuddin of the Hyderabad cyber crime unit says most of the complaints received from individuals are of private videos of the complainant circulating on WhatsApp, which is difficult to trace because of the end to end encryption.
“However, those uploaded on Facebook, Twitter and even porn sites are traceable. We write to these social giants administration to help us trace them through the IP address, but those images and videos circulated on whatsApp are difficult to crack down on,” he says.
There are specific sections in the Information Act that penalise nonconsensual pornography and also sections of the Indian Penal Code that can be used such as section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
Dr Purnima Nagaraja, a mental health professional explained the psychology of the offender. It is mostly an act of revenge or for fun or done by someone with low selfesteem who wants to prove something heroic, despite knowing that they are likely to face prosecution. “I know of a case where a young boy recorded his own mother, grandmother and sister bathing. However, he didn’t share the video.
“The boy resorted to such an act because the mother refused to meet his demands. Children do it out of ignorance and are unaware of the consequences. But adult conspirators have the intention to either damage, take revenge, or sell the video for money”
Non-consensual pornography is a gross intrusion
COUPLES WILLING to capture their private moments (with consent ) should be very careful while shooting the video.