The unlawful act of putting online personal sexual pictures/video of a person without their consent, known as “revenge porn,” carries a potential prison penalty of up to two years, so there’s already a good reason to think carefully about exacting this type of revenge on a former partner.
Chrissy Chambers, a celebrity YouTuber, has taken the situation a step further, filing a lawsuit in the High Court to ensure that her rights are not infringed upon again and that she receives large monetary damages.
Six sexual recordings were published to the adult site redtube.com by her ex-partner, with Ms Chambers being recognised by name in three of them.
The films were shot in her house without her permission and showed her and her partner engaging in sexual behaviour.
She claimed in court that this had caused her “severe distress” and that she had developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result.
During the 19 months that the videos were available, a huge number of individuals saw them, including those who wrote to her to voice their unhappiness with the assumption that she was ‘consciously engaging in pornography,’ to the point where they refused to watch her YouTube offerings.
Her partner accepted that publishing the films was a breach of confidence, misuse of private information, and a violation of her article 8 rights in a settlement reached by the High Court on January 18, 2018. (the right to privacy).
Copyright in the videos was transferred to her for future protection.
While this isn’t the first case of its like (singer Tulisa Contostavlos filed a similar suit in 2012), it’s worth noting that Ms Chambers has actively sought notoriety for her cause when she could have preferred anonymity.
A crowd-funding initiative was used to support the legal action, which was intended to raise public awareness about the issue.
By doing so, she has brought this issue into the public eye, which may serve as a deterrent to those considering doing something similar in the future, as well as a reminder to victims that there may be an easy way to recover substantial damages, provided the person who committed the unlawful act has the financial means to do so.
Further Reading: Threats to Share Intimate Images