http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_28969241/californias-attorney-general-launches-war-revenge-porn-and
California's attorney general launches a war on 'revenge porn' and other cyber crimes
By Patrick May
POSTED: 10/14/2015 12:28:20 PM PDT
Calling revenge porn and other cyberborne assaults against women "heinous" crimes, California Attorney General Kamala Harris on Wednesday unveiled a campaign to have tech companies and law enforcement team up to fight cyber-exploitation, make it easier for people to remove non-consensual images of themselves from online sites, and help victims of online crime find justice.
The announcement laid out a wide range of efforts to train police and bring offenders to justice while enlisting some of Silicon Valley's major players to find ways to stanch the wave of so-called revenge porn, the criminal act of posting intimate photos or videos online without the consent of the individual. Harris said helping victims get these images taken down from social media sites and having their cases investigated were two areas where the tech giants' expertise and input were key.
<>
The campaign is the result of nine months of work by the attorney general's Cyber Exploitation Working Group, a collaboration between the Department of Justice, major technology companies, law enforcement and victims' advocates.
<>
Meanwhile, cyber-safety advocates praised Harris and her task force for their work, which many hope will provide a model for other states to follow.
"Cyber-exploitation is the frontier of domestic violence,'' said Erica Johnstone, a San Francisco attorney and co-founder of Without My Consent, a nonprofit that develops educational materials to empower victims of digital abuse to seek justice. "Sixty-eight percent of domestic abuse survivors report images being posted online by an abuser without consent. While anyone can be affected by cyber-exploitation, 90 percent of victims are women.
"Women," she said, "deserve safety from harassment, abuse and threats of violence."
#EndCyberExploitation
= new reply since forum marked as read