The Chamber of Deputies unanimously approved the rule that strengthens the measures to combat blackmail porn. Interested in the measure also chat
This afternoon the Chamber of Deputies has unanimously approved (461 votes in favor) the so-called law on Revenge Porn. In reality, it is a series of measures (called in the parliamentary sphere "code red" bill) concerning gender violence. In the DDL there are measures to speed up proceedings related to violence against women and more effective tools to ensure support and protection to victims.
Specifically, the amendment on revenge porn provides for rather heavy penalties both for those who commit the crime (the first to distribute porn images and videos) and for those who reiterate it (distribution of "second-hand" hot materials). As provided in the text approved with the votes of the majority and the opposition, "whoever sends, delivers, gives, publishes or disseminates images or videos of sexual organs or sexually explicit content, intended to remain private, without the consent of the persons represented, shall be punished by imprisonment from one to six years and a fine from 5,000 to 15,000 euros". The same punishment is also foreseen for those who "having received or, however, acquired the images or videos, send, deliver, give, publish or spread them without the consent of the persons represented in order to cause them harm". Moreover, the penalties provided for are increased in the case in which the spouse appears in the images, even if separated or divorced, or a person with whom one has or has had an affective relationship.
What is revenge porn
When we talk about revenge porn (literally "revenge porn") we refer to images or videos made by a couple in the intimacy and spread on the Net without the explicit consent of the portrayed persons. Usually these images begin to circulate among a small circle of people but, in the worst cases, they can become public domain, bouncing from chat to chat and ending up being uploaded by anonymous people on hot portals such as PornHub, YouPorn and similar.
Not to be underestimated, then, the possibility that revenge porn can turn into sextortion: one of the protagonists of the hard film threatens the other person to publicly disseminate the images unless the latter does not meet some of his demands. It can be money or, in most cases, other sexual encounters.
What changes for WhatsApp and Telegram groups
As mentioned above, the Revenge Porn amendment will have a far from minor impact on WhatsApp and Telegram groups as well. The chats of these two applications, in fact, are often used to initially circulate porn images and videos, soon becoming viral. According to the text of the amendment, those who help spread the images received on WhatsApp or Telegram risk the same penalty as those who initially spread them.
What to do, then, if you receive porn images that are the result of revenge porn? First of all, go to a Police Station or Carabinieri Barracks and report the incident. Once the authorities have collected the evidence of the case, follow their instructions: they could either ask you to keep the chat or, more reasonably, to delete the illegal content. In any case, do not spread the hot images further, thus helping to break the chain of hatred and revenge triggered by the owner of the photos or videos.