Revenge Porn as an Emerging Form of Gender-Based Cybercrime and Adequacy of Indian Legal Framework in the Digital Age

Abstract

Non-consent intimate image abuse, a revenge porn is a pernicious form of gender-based cyber-crime, characteristic of using digital platforms to compromise the privacy, dignity, and autonomy of women violatively. It is one of the trends in the digital era of India that have begun to rise dominantly, and it entails the deliberate sharing of intimate pictures or videos without permission, most of the time done by ex-lovers seeking revenge or extortion, and even humiliation. Such behaviour has devastating psychological trauma, social ostracism, reputational damage, and secondary victimisation. It is defined as the virtual rape, whereby scholars and activists characterise its continuation to enable the perpetuation of patriarchal control by virtue of the violence that is implemented through technology.  Non-consensual intimate image abuse (NCII) or image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) of individuals is an emerging and devastating gender-based cybercrime that is widespread and prevalent in the modern Indian society. This is a type of premeditated sharing, uploading, or distribution of intimate photographs, videos, or morphed images without the permission of the subject, which is usually carried out by former partners, friends, or bad people who may want to seek revenge, blackmail, control, or humiliate.