Calls for Ofcom to investigate hacked nude photos posted online

BBC News

20-03-2025

When Jane was told by someone she knew that there were nude photos of her on an image-sharing website, she was in complete shock.Users had left crude and misogynistic comments under the photos. Some were urging the posters to upload more images of her."I couldn't believe it," Jane told the BBC. "Men were getting sexual gratification from pictures of me that I hadn't consented to being shared."Jane, whose name has been changed for this article, is one of more than a dozen women in the same area of England who had their social media accounts hacked two years ago.The BBC understands all of them have had intimate images - which were originally sent in private direct messages on social media - posted on the same website.Some of the women's names have been posted alongside their photos. Two of the women were under 18 when the images were taken, meaning legally, they would also be classed as indecent images of children.Jane later discovered some of the photos of the other women had also been posted on different sites too."It makes me feel very angry that somebody's taking ownership over content that I thought was mine and was sent privately," Jane said. "I feel really exposed... It's disgusting."It is a criminal offence to post intimate pictures of someone online without their consent, punishable with up to two years in prison.Some people colloquially refer to crimes of this nature as "revenge porn", even when the perpetrator is not a former partner and there's no revenge motive - but those affected prefer the term "non-consensual image abuse".
'Swift and decisive action'
Jane is now calling on media regulator Ofcom to investigate using its powers under the Online Safety Act.The law lists 130 "priority offences" that companies should focus on preventing, including the non-consensual posting of intimate images.What the Online Safety Act is - and how to keep children safe onlineEarlier this week, Ofcom was given new powers to crack down on illegal content. Tech companies will now have to ensure staff are prioritising taking down the material when alerted to it, and have systems in place that help them do that. Companies that break the new rules could be fined up to £18m.Tessa Gregory, a partner at the law firm Leigh Day, is representing Jane in her appeal to Ofcom.
She told the BBC that the Revenge Porn Helpline, which supports adults who experience intimate image abuse, helped Jane track down the images by carrying out reverse image searches online and contacting pornographic sites on her behalf.Ms Gregory said she now wants Ofcom to "take swift and decisive action" against the sites.Ofcom, she said, is supposed to make an announcement online when they begin an investigation."We're asking if they're already investigating this issue, because it seems so prevalent we would expect them to be, but we have found no evidence that they are," Ms Gregory said.She added that she and Jane want Ofcom to take action not just against the sites hosting the images, but also against the search engines directing people to those sites.Ofcom told the BBC it was aware of Jane's case and that it was "considering any appropriate next steps".It added that it had "a broad range of enforcement powers to hold tech firms accountable" for carrying out their legal responsibilities under the Online Safety Act, and that it "won't hesitate to use them where necessary".Insiders at Ofcom told the BBC the regulator was likely to concentrate on larger sites to begin with, because of their reach.
'We thought it was private'
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which aims to eliminate child sexual abuse images online, launched a campaign last year called Think Before You Share. It educates young people about the potential pitfalls of sharing nude pictures, and how they can be posted elsewhere without their consent.Emma Hardy, from the IWF, told the BBC that often, by the time they found an image or video, it was "already out of control"."It's already spread further than that trusted partnership, and it's being potentially sold online," she said. "It's being harvested and collated in places where it's being made available for people with a sexual interest in that age or sex of person."Jane worries that if action isn't taken quickly, her photos will continue to spread."I know somebody has those pictures saved on their computer, so I don't have any control of those images," she said. "I think revenge porn and non-consensual image abuse grows arms and legs. You think they're gone, and then they can be posted in the future."But she believes it's unrealistic to expect people not to privately share intimate photos of themselves - and that the onus should be on websites not to host them if they get stolen or leaked."I think it's a mistake to think people will never send nudes. Certain websites have a duty to protect your privacy."There needs to be a shift in mindset, and not blame the victim for sending the image in the first place. We thought it was private."
If you, or someone you know, has been affected by intimate image abuse, these organisations may be able to help.