The explosion of social media platforms has made it easier than ever for people to share explicit images and videos without the consent of the subject. In the UK, this illegal act is known as revenge porn, and it carries serious consequences, including jail time.
Stephen Bear, a UK reality TV star and OnlyFans creator, learned this hard lesson this week after he was sentenced to 21 months in prison for posting an explicit video of himself and his former girlfriend, Georgia Harrison, on OnlyFans without her consent.
The video was taken by a CCTV camera on the grounds of his home in Loughton, Essex, and posted online without Harrison’s knowledge. Bear was also given a restraining order and placed on the sex offenders’ register.
In court, Judge Christopher Morgan said Bear had caused Harrison “extensive humiliation and embarrassment.” He also noted that Bear had seen the “enhanced economic value” of sharing the revenge porn video because it featured a “well-known reality TV and social media personality.”
Bear’s sentencing comes just days after OnlyFans joined other tech companies in backing a platform that lets people scan sites to see if sexually explicit images or videos of them when they were 18 and under had been posted. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) has also launched Take It Down, a free tool for people and tech companies to use to combat child sexual exploitation.
Revenge porn is a serious crime with serious consequences. Bear’s sentencing serves as a reminder that people who share explicit images or videos without consent can face serious legal repercussions.
