The criminalisation of revenge porn mooted

The Secretary of State for Justice Chris Grayling has indicated that that the government might seek to introduce legislation to tackle instances of 'revenge porn'.

Revenge porn was thrust into the media spotlight last month when it was revealed that David Cameron’s nanny had become the latest victim of this type of cyber attack (see our earlier blog here).

Presently there is no specific law that criminalises the online publication of intimate images by a jilted lover.

Speaking at criminal justice conference, Mr Grayling said “there is a strong case for it to be a criminal matter rather than something we just ignore”.  He indicated to the House of Commons that the government would hold serious discussions about the increasing problem of revenge porn, although he added that it was important any legislation was not too broad.

Concurrently, amendments to the Criminal Courts and Justice Bill have been tabled by Liberal Democrat peers.  Under their proposals it would be a criminal offence to publish an intimate image of an identifiable person online without their consent.

There are a number of organisations campaigning to criminalise revenge porn.  However, anti-censorship pressure groups are also urging the government not to take any rash step that could have unintended consequences.

For more information on what legal action you can presently taken in relation to revenge porn click here.