French women victims of massive porn revenge on Telegram

“Pornographic photos and videos scroll across the screen, uninterrupted. Every day, dozens and dozens of them are shared on the Telegram group.”, Explain Numerama in a porn revenge investigation, published this Tuesday, March 30, 2021. This practice which “consists in taking revenge on a person by making public so-called pornographic content including him with the obvious aim of humiliating him“and that, without his consent, recalls the e-childhood site, is a very real threat to women.

Alerts without consequence

According to Numerama, it is mainly men who are currently exchanging photos and videos on the Telegram secure instant messaging application, with the following types of messages: “Who has nudes of mothers of families?”, “Does anyone have leases on her?” or “My ex cheated on me, I’m sending you all of his nudes here.” The digital media expert adds that “All of the revenge porn content that we have seen concerns women: they are in turn humiliated, objectified, abused.” Remember that revenge porn is an offense punishable by two years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 60,000 euros, but this does not frighten the men who act on Telegram.

Numerama evokes Clarisse, the first to have given the alert on March 19, 2021 on Twitter. “I went into a Telegram group to see something, inside there are almost 30,000 people and people exchange nudes and sextapes of girls who haven’t asked anyone for anything it’s distressing I don’t know what to do” . Since … nothing, the group still exists. Telegram is the El Dorado of revenge porn. And with the different confinements, the practice has amplified. Snapchat groups called fisha (which means “posted”) were created with the aim of sharing intimate videos. Numerama infiltrated the group denounced by Clarisse. Result: 7,000 French Internet users would be part of the conversation.

Child crime too

Within these groups, members would also post photos of minors, without hiding. “Messages are sent to the several thousand people present, inviting them to speak in private to obtain these images”, Numerama reports. “Everyone knows I have a minor group I assume”, launches one of them. However, the law stipulates than “the fact, with a view to its dissemination, of fixing, recording or transmitting the image or the representation of a minor when this image or this representation is pornographic is punishable by five years’ imprisonment and 75 000 euros fine. When the image or representation concerns a minor of fifteen years, these acts are punished even if they were not committed with a view to the dissemination of this image or representation. ” Telegram also hosts sextapes, zoophilia images and videos of assault. Numerama saw a video in which a woman was attacked with a knife.

But what does Telegram do? next his rules, available online, the application prohibited “promoting violence on public channels, and sharing illegal pornographic content on public channels.” However, no moderation is made. “Telegram groups are private, and we do not accept reports that concern them. (…) if you see content on a public channel that you think is illegal, you can report it to us. ” This nuance of “private” would therefore be the argument for giving free rein to such practices.

Faced with Telegram’s inaction, filing a complaint becomes the solution to revenge porn. As Numerama reminds us, the feminist association StopFisha, which fights against cybersexism and sexist and sexual cyberviolence, gives valuable advice to counter this sharing of photos and videos.

Celine Peschard

Journalist who loves the versatility that his profession can offer. Specialized in the historical field, societal subjects and auteur films, against a background of electronic music. University course based on …