Obscenity laws prohibiting the making or dissemination of obscene images can apply too. If you upload a naked picture on a site, and someone else reposts it elsewhere, they could be breaking the harassment and malicious communications acts above. According to this survey - 80% of offending pictures in revenge porn cases were taken by the person themselves. Even just retweeting it could be a crime.

That can mean anything from texting it to another person or posting it on a revenge porn site. Was it posted or reposted without your permission?Įven if you were happy for a naked photo to be taken - or took it yourself, it's illegal to post or share it without your permission. The Act also recommends higher penalties for offenders who record and share images with others. If the pictures are also sexual in nature or used for sexual gratification, the voyeurism law in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 also kicks in. The UK's strongest privacy rules come from the European Convention on Human Rights 1998. Almost everything in a bedroom should be covered by this rule. Taking pictures of someone without consent when they’re in private premises contravenes privacy laws that apply to photographers – and anyone with a camera. Was the photo taken without your permission?

Are they making threats?Īngry comments or even threats? Any picture or content linked to a threat counts as harassment and could be prosecuted under the 1997 Protection from Harassment Act, or the Public Order Act 1986 and the Malicious Communications Act 1988. Using naked pictures to pressure people for money or anything else is illegal in the UK – under the 1968 Theft Law. Did someone get hold of it via hacking?Īny action that involves illicit access to someone else's computer is illegal according to The Computer Misuse Act 1990.

Photo privacy a crime