The British government may ban “revenge porn” – where people post explicit pictures of their ex-partner online to humiliate them, according to the Daily Mail. The Justice Secretary Chris Grayling confirmed that the government was looking to take ‘appropriate action’ at ministerial questions today.
Grayling was responding to a question on the subject from the former Culture Secretary, Maria Miller. She has been campaigning on the subject since her ejection from government, as reported by Breitbart London.
Two weeks ago Mr Grayling said it “was only right that we look at ways” to deal with the problem, suggesting that action might come soon. There are around 30 websites to which ex-partners can post intimate photos to humiliate someone they have broken up with.
Very often these sites show up high on Google rankings and so a search of the victim’s name is likely to bring up this material, making it potentially harder to find employment. It can also be hard to get rid of, as other websites copy the pictures within minutes of them being posted.
So far authorities have been slow to act, although there are laws such as those related to harassment and obscenity that could be used. The State of Israel has already opted for a specific ban, making posting of the images a crime in itself.
Mrs Miller would like to see something similar implemented in this country. She added: “This is a form of sexual violence against women. What I want to do is make sure we have the right legal protection in place for these women.”
Grayling confirmed that the government was “very open” to having a “serious discussion” about the practice with a view to “taking appropriate action” when Parliament returns from its summer recess. He admitted the problem was growing in Britain and said the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill could be the vehicle for any change.
He told Mrs Miller: “You have done a very important job in raising this issue. It’s clearly becoming a bigger problem. What I’d say to you today is the Government is very open to having a serious discussion about this with a view to taking appropriate action in the autumn if we can identify the best way of doing so.”
Mrs Miller had asked: “Posting revenge pornography on the internet is an appalling crime. Do you agree that the law needs to change to ensure that perpetrators are properly punished and that perhaps the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, currently in the Lords, could provide the Government an opportunity to do just that?”
Last month, Breitbart London reported that the head of the Police College now believes half of crimes reported to frontline officers relate to social media.
This will raise concerns that the public are behaving in a reckless fashion and then expecting police to pick up the pieces, putting a major strain on resources.