The growing normalisation of the widespread storing and sharing of self-created intimate images in the UK is heightening the risk of online abuse faced by both women and men, researchers at Kaspersky have warned.
In a global study, Kaspersky highlighted the fundamental shift in attitudes to self-created, or amateur, pornographic content, and a change in the unwritten rules of social and romantic interactions in the digital age that means many people now consider sharing such content an accepted part of dating.
In the UK, the study found that 20% of people store explicit images of themselves on their devices, with the highest rates found among 16-24 year-olds, where this rises to 40%, followed by 25-34 year-olds, where it rises to 38%.
A quarter of respondents had shared such images of themselves with people they are chatting to online, increasing to a high of 50% of 25-34 year-olds.
“Our research highlights the increasing normalisation of a critical societal issue: the public, especially younger individuals, are sharing intimate images in increasing numbers without considering the consequences,” said Kaspersky principal security researcher David Emm.
“Over the past 25 years, technology has made capturing and sharing such images effortless, and there have been significant shifts in behaviour and attitudes towards online dating, accelerating the trend of sharing intimate messages,” he added.
“Awareness of the risks that are being taken can empower individuals to make more informed digital choices.”
Kaspersky said its UK findings correlated strongly with the now widespread problem of intimate image abuse (IIA), known more sensationally as “revenge porn”, with 33% of UK respondents saying they either knew someone who had experienced such abuse or experienced it themselves, rising to 69% of 16-24 year-olds and 63% of 25-34 year-olds.
A total of 14% of those who had shared such material that they had received admitted sharing it for revenge purposes after the breakdown of a relationship, and 11% to frighten their victims.
Victim blaming
The study further highlighted a concern around victim blaming – widespread across all age groups, with 48% of respondents agreeing that if you share an image of yourself, it is your fault if it ends up in the wrong hands and is used against you.
Sophie Mortimer, revenge porn helpline manager at online abuse charity SWGfL, said: “We can see every day that intimate image abuse is a continuing problem, but this study shows us where we need to take action: building a national and international conversation about the meaning and importance of consent, improving online safety knowledge for adults and young people alike and making it clear that, when intimate image abuse happens, it is the perpetrators who are entirely at fault.”
Kaspersky emphasised that if someone does share your intimate images without your consent, it is not your fault – the blame lies solely with those who misused the content and abused your trust. The study highlighted the story of one individual, identified only as Alice, who found intimate images of herself online that had been taken secretly by a former partner while she slept.
David Cooke, senior director of trust and safety regulations and partnerships at Aylo, a Canada-based adult content platform provider formerly known as MindGeek, said education and prevention were key to eliminating the growing issues around IIA, also known as non-consensual image (NCII) abuse.
“Whilst our upload policy requires the ID and consent of all performers within content before it is published, along with instant takedown of any infringing material reported through our content removal request forms, and deterrence messages for anyone searching for terms associated with NCII, it is vital that more online platforms join STOPNCII.org to continue the fight and prevent more victims,” he said.
“Cross industry partnerships like Aylo’s with STOPNCII are key in developing faster and more sophisticated methods of preventing this horrible form of online abuse.”