So called ‘revenge porn’ sites are fairly popular today, sadly. They offer a place where upset ex-husbands, boyfriends (mostly, though there are some that allow male images and videos) can upload pictures and videos of their former partners where the rest of the world can see them. This, of course, is very upsetting to the victims, whose images are then available online forever. Kevin Christopher Bollaert owned and operated one of these types of sites, but took it one step further.
On his site people’s sexually explicate images and videos were directly linked to their real life names and Facebook accounts. This made it much more likely that people who knew them in real life would find and see the content.
In addition to this site, Bollaert ran another site that would allow the victims to pay him between $250 and $350 to remove the images and videos. According to attorneys, he made around $30,000 from this practice.
He was charged with six counts of extortion and 21 counts of identity theft related to these sites, however, and was recently found guilty and sentenced to 18 years in prison (out of a maximum of 23 possible).
The Prosecutor in the case said, “Sitting behind a computer committing what is essentially a cowardly and criminal act will not shield predators from the law or jail. We will continue to be vigilant and investigate and prosecute those who commit these deplorable acts.”
The site has long sense been taken down, but others are undoubtedly filling the void. Currently, it seems, that there may not be sufficient laws in place restricting what people can and can’t do with images or videos that are taken in the privacy and trust of a committed relationship. As these types of cases become more common, it is likely that new legislation will have to be made to help combat the people doing the actual sharing, and not just the owners of the websites who publish them.
