Intimate Image Abuse
Revenge Porn Helpline
The Revenge Porn Helpline provides free, confidential and non-judgemental support to adults aged 18+ in the UK who are experiencing intimate image abuse, including sextortion and webcam blackmail.
Practitioners can provide advice about what to do next, reporting accounts and content to platforms, removing intimate images that have been shared online, reporting what has happened to the police and accessing further support.
What is intimate image abuse?
Intimate image abuse refers to the non-consensual sharing of intimate images and videos. This is sometimes referred to as 'revenge porn' or 'image-based abuse'. This content can be shared in a multitude of ways including, in-person, through texts, emails and messages, on social media platforms, porn sites and in group chats. This crime can be committed by anyone and anyone can be affected. If you have been affected, please remember this isn’t your fault and you haven’t done anything wrong.
Intimate image abuse and the law
There are laws across the UK that protect people from different forms of intimate image abuse, (also known as Revenge Porn), including sharing or threatening to share intimate images without consent, voyeurism, upskirting and certain sexually explicit deepfakes.
The exact law that applies can depend on where in the UK the incident happened, when it happened and what took place, as England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate legal systems.
What does the law say?
In England and Wales, it is a criminal offence to:
Share an intimate image without consent
Threaten to share an intimate image without consent
Secretly watch or record someone carrying out a private act, known as voyeurism
Take intimate images underneath someone's clothing without consent, known as upskirting
Create or request certain sexually explicit deepfakes or synthetic intimate images without consent
Share certain manufactured or altered intimate images without consent
What is considered an intimate image?
In England and Wales, an intimate image can include images or videos showing or appearing to show someone nude, partially nude, engaged in sexual behaviour or carrying out toileting behaviour.
The law can also cover manufactured or altered images, including certain sexually explicit deepfakes.
What about consent?
Consent is an important part of intimate image law. Consenting to an intimate image being taken or sending an image to someone privately does not mean you have consented to it being shared with other people or posted online.
In England and Wales, the law was strengthened in January 2024, introducing wider offences around sharing intimate images without consent. The law has since developed further to address the creation of certain non-consensual synthetic intimate images.
Does the same law apply across the UK?
Intimate image abuse is covered by legislation across the UK, but the specific offences and legal definitions differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The law has also changed over time, so the date an incident happened can affect which legislation applies.
If you're unsure whether something that has happened to you is against the law, you don't need to identify the specific offence before seeking help. The Revenge Porn Helpline provides free and confidential support to adults in the UK affected by intimate image abuse and can help you understand your options.