First things first. Don’t blame yourself. Love comes with trust and by posting your intimate photos/videos online, he/she has broken your trust. You needn’t feel ashamed for what that person has done. It’s not your fault at all.
Ignore the person entirely! Block that person out of your life and all online and social media accounts. It is very easy to block a number these days on not only your phone but also on WhatsApp. Same thing can be done on Facebook, Instagram or other social media platforms. Mark their email address as spam in Gmail and all the mails from that address will land into Junk folder.
If the matter has gotten out of hands, you can also delete your email account (after backup) and create a new email id. If you fear that the person can tag you in any photos on Facebook or Instagram – deactivate your accounts temporarily. Take a complete break from social media and have your peace of mind. You can always activate them later when the situation improves.
No matter how low you feel, remember that this is just a phase in your life and it too shall pass. Talk to someone you really trust, confide in that person and consider what steps you can take next – legally and otherwise. If you want to talk about your problem with our LM experts, write to us here on our discussion board. Our experts will answer your questions within 24 hours.
Once you have had a chance to calm yourself. Think how you would want to proceed. Do you want to take action again against your ex? Or disconnect yourself from the situation entirely. It’s your choice but whatever you decide, take help and guidance from a trusted friend or if need be a professional counsellor.
Going to the police may feel stressful for you at this time but please understand, revenge porn is a crime in India. If someone creates a porn using your intimate pictures, you can file a police complaint against them. There are several provisions of the IT Act and Indian Penal Court (IPC) to compensate you. Go to the police – the sooner the better.
If you have a cyber crime cell in your city report the crime. In the absence of a cyber crime cell report to any gazetted officer of SP rank and file a written complaint i.e First Information Report (FIR). Here are the step-by-step instructions to file a complaint.
Cyber police are police departments or government agencies in charge of stopping cybercrime. Their expertise lies in dealing with specifically such cases on online harassment and revenge porn is one such.
Cyber police stations and crime cells have been set up in each state for reporting and investigation of cyber crimes. The contact details of nationwide cyber cells are available here.
Don’t destroy the evidence i.e. messages, emails, photographs and screenshots etc. The person who is the target of revenge porn often get so harassed that he/she delete all this data for fear of being found out.
But it can make your case weak. So keep a record of everything.
You can write to Instagram/Facebook/YouTube and report this as a crime – they are known to take pretty strong action by taking the post down and banning the person who indulges in revenge porn. For Facebook removal, click here, for Instagram, click here. YouTube also allows you to report abuse by this link.
You can also write to Google to remove the link from appearing in searches, check out here. Google can also remove your photo from online searches. Here is the link for that.
If you do not want to go to a police station for any reason, you can also file a complaint online. Here is the link. The help is also available on Twitter through the handle Cyber Dost - Cyber-safety and Cybersecurity awareness handle maintained by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
The FIR is followed by an enquiry by the police to then file a charge sheet.
You have a long life ahead and consider this incident as one off. Learn from it and move on. Focus on other aspects of your life – your friends, family, career etc. Life doesn’t stop – it goes on.
It may feel difficult to believe this now, but your life always has more to offer. Be strong and lean on those who you have your back. We say it again this too shall pass.
To protect the identity, the person in the picture is a model.
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