Today, Australians who have had intimate images or videos shared without their consent (known as ‘revenge porn’) will be able to access tangible support and advice, including legal assistance, through an online portal piloted by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. The portal will also run a complaints service for young Australians who experience cyberbullying and will address illegal content online.
Research released by the eSafety Office has revealed that as many as 1 in 5 for women aged 18-45, and 1 in 4 for Indigenous Australians have experienced image-based abuse.
This is a world-first government-led initiative, empowering Australians who experience this insidious form of abuse with practical information and a range of options to help resolve their situation and relieve their distress,” says eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
The research shows that intimate images were most commonly shared without consent on popular social media sites. Facebook/Messenger accounted for 53%, followed by Snapchat at 11% and then Instagram at 4%. Text messaging and MMS are other common distribution channels.
Australians will be able to report intimate images or videos that have been shared without their consent directly through to our portal. We will work with social media providers, websites and search engines to help facilitate the removal of the image-based abuse,” says Ms Inman Grant.
During the pilot phase, the Office of the eSafety Commissioner will be working closely with victims and stakeholders to determine the volume and complexity of reports and to develop final features of the portal which will launch formally in early 2018.
Further Information
For more information visit the Office of the eSafety Commissioner website.