Pakistani singer Rabi Pirzada recently announced her departure from the entertainment industry. Few days before that her private pictures and clips were leaked online. Revenge porn has seen a rise in recent years, how can it be curbed? Gulf News readers discuss
Better safe than sorry
Take measures to protect your content
Revenge pornography is on the rise and it is becoming a way for former partners to expose others and victims are bearing the burden. My personal rule with data privacy applies to this as well is that people should avoid creating any digitised content that might harm you to begin with. However, we don’t live in perfect world and people make mistakes, if you have such content or have shared it with a previous partner or someone, track that data and get it deleted.
No matter how much you trust that other person they knowingly or unknowingly can expose you, so find it and erase it properly. Many hard drives can retain information even after deleting to learn to erase properly. There needs to be an action on a governance level as well. Some countries do have laws, but there needs to be more strict policing and crime enforcement. This will make sure that a fear of consequences exists, and it will be a lesson for perpetrators.
From Mr Muhammad Yaseen Farooqui
Digital transformation consultant based in Dubai
Strict rules needed
Digital platforms should take measures
Revenge pornography is a real threat in today’s world and any site that gives it a platform to survive is an accomplice in harassment and abuse. It should be treated as a criminal activity to counter it and the uploaders and the facilitators, both both need to be punished.
People who encounter such content should also be aware about the kind of abuse and harassment this content stems from. They should immediately report it and not play a part in promoting it. Websites and social media platforms need to put tactics in place that ensure that if people are searching for such images and clips, they should be banned or at least warned.
It is definitely a security issue as well as a social issue, women shouldn’t have to fear going into relationships that the partner they trusted at the time would turn out to be a sexual abuser.
However, our community should also not allow the abuser to flourish and instead name and shame them and label them as that - a harasser. It should be a part of their criminal record, like any other crime out there.
From Ms Asma Hunaid.
Business consultant based in Sharjah
Save yourself
We need modern-day solutions
Revenge pornography is a fairly recent issue because of the spread of technology. With modern-day problems we need updated policies and solutions to counter them.
I think we are at a time that we have made all these things like the internet and social media platforms but we don’t know how to control them. We don’t yet understand all the dangers they bring along and we are only learning them as they happen. Let’s take revenge porn, deep fakes and other online security breaches, we hear a new case every day. Just like we have introduced all this technology to our daily lives let’s bring out solutions at the same pace.
And my advice for those who are users of digital platforms, please protect your own content and use them smartly. Victim blaming is never an option but right now all we can do is protect ourselves as much as we can.
From Mr Hassan Ahmad
Business consultant based in Sharjah
Poll results
Are digital platforms making it easy for hackers to get to people’s private content?
Yes: 87%
No: 13%
Have your say
Do you think revenge porn is taken as a serious crime?
