Revenge porn is generally defined as sexually explicit images or footage that was first obtained with consent (such as between intimate partners) and later distributed without consent. "We believe this campaign will open up the dialogue, while setting a standard across all industry sites." "We will not tolerate revenge porn and is in direct violation of our terms of service," YouPorn wrote in an email to CNET. YouPorn launched its #AskFirst campaign in an attempt to curb revenge porn. Young women especially, are likely to be victims. And reported they should be, since revenge porn is estimated to affect one in 25 Americans, according to a 2016 study by the Data and Society Research Institute. Though it has no way of knowing which videos truly fall under the definition of revenge porn as they are uploaded, it is willing to remove them when they're reported. It has been parodied mercilessly online.īut to YouPorn's credit, it's raising awareness about a damaging issue. In 2004 the Motion Picture Association released an anti-piracy video warning viewers against illegally downloading movies. The internet has form for making a joke out of a well-intentioned public information video. People were openly tweeting that it was the best day on the internet.) The page was viewed more than 250 million times and garnered 100,000 followers. (In a 2016 incident known as " Celebgate," nude photos of female celebrities were stolen and posted on Reddit. I also find it difficult to imagine any visitor who willingly clicked on this particular video, one with such a clear revenge porn-esque title, would have any moral hangups about what they're doing.Īnd internet trolls will unfortunately be quick to discount and mock any PSA that contains the faintest whiff of moralizing - especially when it comes to behavior some people have no apparent qualms over. Type "ex girlfriend" into the site's search box and you'll find a flurry of crowdsourced videos with titles that cast doubt on whether or not these were posted with the consent of all parties involved. YouPorn is one of the world's most popular porn sites and it also hosts hardcore videos and live sex streams. While her questions are valid, the video lives on YouPorn.
In the middle of the video, the woman asks the viewer, with tears welling in her eyes, "You know I'm a human being right? That I have feelings? Can you imagine what I'm going through? What victims of revenge porn go through every single day? And you are just sitting there, watching this, sharing this. And the internet can be a very trying place. Not because it's particularly heart-wrenching but because it is so earnest in its intentions.