From leaked nudes to explicit deepfakes: Dealing with image-based abuse

This article was written by Julie Inman Grant, Australia's eSafety Commissioner.

Julie leads the team that safeguards Australians at risk of experiencing serious online harm, and promotes safer, more positive online experiences for us all.

Before being appointed in 2016, Julie spent two decades working in senior public policy and safety roles at Microsoft, Twitter and Adobe, as well as working in government and the non-profit sector. Fun fact: Australia was the first country to have an online safety regulator!

eSafety has a heap of useful resources on their website to help make your online experience safer. Importantly, eSafety can investigate reports of cyberbullying of children, adult cyber abuse, image-based abuse, and illegal or restricted content — in most cases, they get this content removed. You can make a report here.

Your generation is the first to truly experience love online.

From connection and intimacy to heartbreak and loss, your love lives are playing out in spaces once only known by sci-fi fans.

As you push through and shape this new romantic frontier, you’re making up the rules of the (love) game that myself and most people over 30 find completely perplexing.

At the same time, you’re also dealing with paradoxes as old as time. Like the fact that love, while powerful and magical, can also be frail and volatile. It can be resilient but also fickle. Hopeful and fearful. Generous and punitive.

So, let’s admit you’re up against forces most adults simply cannot fathom.

But there is something I do understand, and I do want to help you with: image-based abuse. It’s also known as ‘revenge porn’ (more on that limiting, harmful label later) and it shows up in relationships when love tips from care into jealousy and ‘retribution.’

Down to definitions: What’s image-based abuse?

Image-based abuse is when intimate images or videos of you are shared without your consent. It also includes threats to share this content. It not only covers sexual images and videos but content where you’re partly naked, using the toilet or showering, or aren’t wearing any religious clothing you’d normally be wearing when in public. It also includes intimate or explicit content that has been artificially generated (commonly known as ‘deepfakes’).

The person perpetrating the abuse might be motivated by several things. They might: 

• Want to embarrass or upset you 
• Boast and show off to friends. 
• Not realise that they don’t have the right to share your images without asking for your explicit consent first.

Another type of image-based abuse is financial sexual extortion. This is when someone tries to blackmail you over a nude or sexual image or video of you. They may demand money, cryptocurrency, gift cards, gaming credits, or more nudes or sexual content. This is usually done by criminals for financial gain. 

Under Australian law, image-based abuse is illegal.

eSafety, as the online safety regulator, has powers to compel online companies to remove this content when it’s reported to us. In 2023-2024, we requested removal from more than 947 locations across 191 platforms and services and successfully had 98% of material removed.   

Why ‘image-based abuse’ and not ‘revenge porn’?

Because the term is misleading and very harmful to the victim-survivor. It implies that the victim did something to deserve punishment, that the abuse is somehow justified, and that it’s about ‘porn’ rather than a violation of  trust and consent.

Language shapes understanding and understanding shapes action. By using clear words, we can more accurately reflect the harm being done and the seriousness with which it must be addressed. We need to stop trivialising and victim-blaming.

How common is image-based abuse?

Between August 2018 and June 2023, we received almost 20,000 reports to our image-based abuse scheme, and every year we see a growing number of reports. But we know the number of Australians impacted is much greater. Shame and humiliation (even though misplaced!) are huge barriers to reporting and seeking help.  Unfortunately, these feelings can be exacerbated by friends and peers who unfairly and wrongly blame the victim for allowing the abuse to happen by sharing the images in the first place.

We’re also seeing a rapid rise in sexual extortion. As part of our joint investigation with the Australian Institute of Criminology, we found more than 1 in 10 Australian adolescents had experienced sexual extortion. This abuse has largely been driven by offshore criminal networks who are targeting hundreds, if not thousands, of young people simultaneously, using well-worn scripts and finely-tuned tactics to lure their victims into sharing intimate material. Their MO is to pose as very sexual, attractive characters to manipulate their targets into sharing compromising content that they can use against them, most commonly for money.

What do I do if an ex threatens to share or shares my nudes?

Before you do anything else, it’s a good idea to get emotional support from someone who really knows you and cares for you. Your trust has been violated, so it’s natural to  be feeling distressed and vulnerable — and you shouldn’t go through this alone.

Next, work through these steps with your support person:

1.     Collect evidence: It’s important to get proof of what’s happened so the intimate image or video can be removed. Take screenshots or recordings showing when and where it was shared. If it was shared on an app or in a game, which one? If it was on a site, what was the URL? What account usernames were involved?

2.     Report it to us: You can make an image-based abuse report to us straight away. Our team is here to help you have the intimate images or videos removed quickly. If you’re concerned about your physical safety, contact your local police or call 000 if it’s an emergency. 

3.     Stop further contact, tighten security and prevent sharing: Stop all contact with the person who shared the intimate image or video. You can use in-app functions to ignore or mute them, but don't block them until you’re advised to do so by eSafety or the police. You may need to collect more evidence first. It’s also a good idea to check your privacy settings to limit who can see your online information and contact you.

4.     Get more help: This is a distressing experience. Don’t minimise what you’re feeling and consider talking to a counsellor or support service that’s right for you. There are also free, 24/7 helplines you can turn to for support. If you’re 25 or younger, reach out to Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. If you’re 18 or older, you can call, text or chat with Lifeline. 

What do I do if I’m being blackmailed by a criminal?

Again, it’s important you don’t face this alone. Always disclose and seek support from trusted friends or family.

Next, follow these steps:

1.        Capture the evidence

2.       Do stop all contact with the person blackmailing you.

3.       Do not pay the blackmailer or give them more money or intimate content.

4.       If you are under the age of 18, you are a victim of online child sexual exploitation and you can get help from accce.gov.au/report  

5.        If they share your intimate content, report it to eSafety.

6.        Get more help: If you need additional emotional or mental health support, don’t hesitate to reach out to Kids Helpline or Lifeline. 

What can I do to protect myself from this abuse?

I want to reinforce that the abuse and the person doing the abuse are the problem. Not the act of sharing intimate images.

I also want to stress that it’s never okay for anyone to pressure you into sharing a nude, even if you’ve sent them one before or they sent you one (noting it’s also never okay to send someone an un-asked for nude).

Notwithstanding that blame squarely sits with the perpetrator, it’s important to understand that once you send a person intimate imagery - even if the trust is high today - it could end up in circulation or shared forever down the line. While we have the most comprehensive powers to support people affected by image-based abuse, the nature of the online world means no content is ever truly and completely erased.

I also strongly recommend only sending intimate images to people you’ve built a trusted relationship with and have met in person. Criminals are among the most adept at exploiting technology and all forms of sexual extortion will become more manipulative and sinister with deepfake technology.

It’s also helpful to know what your boundaries are when it comes to being intimate online. Try to separate what you think you should be comfortable doing and what you actually want to do. You don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, and neither do they.

These questions can help you set your relationship boundaries: 

• What feels right for me? 

• What do I feel comfortable doing? 

• What do I feel comfortable sharing?
• What do I feel comfortable recording?
• Would I be comfortable with others seeing this imagery at a later date?

Remember, you can always adjust or change your boundaries depending on the person you are with, the circumstances and the type of intimate relationship you want. 

And if you ever experience image-based abuse, our investigators are here to help you when you report it to eSafety.gov.au/report

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