Behind the Screen
How Platform-Specific Policy affects Consumer Behaviour of
Non-Consensual Pornography
L I L L I A N S. R I G L I N G
North Carolina State University Libraries
A M E L I A C L A R K S O N
University of Toronto
What is
Revenge
Porn?
www.endrevengeporn.com
What is
Revenge
Porn?
www.urbandictionary.com
What is
Revenge
Porn?
www.cybercivilrights.com
What is
Nonconsensual
Pornography
Legal Journals
Criminalizing Revenge Porn:
● Harassment defense
● The copyright defense
● Right to be forgotten defense
Scholarly Literature
● Who is posting this content?
● Why?
How do users interact with
nonconsensual
pornographic content?
?
Methods
● 20 Posts* from MyEX.com (November 2015)
● 20 photo posts from non-consensual porn subreddits
(November 2015)
○ 10 from OnOff
○ 10 from PhotoPlunder
● Policy documents from Reddit & MyEX.com (November
2015)
*photos of men were excluded from the study
MyEx.com
● No user accounts or
peer-to-peer interaction
● All content passed through a
moderator
● Actively encourages users to
include personal, identifying
information
MyEx.com
● “Doxxing”: 18 of 20 posts
○ Phone number, social media accounts, addresses
● Violent language: 75% of posts
○ Sexual violence
○ Physical violence
● Racial slurs
● Underage content
Reddit
● Has a reputation for being lenient with offensive content
○ Content of Subreddits controlled largely by users though the site does have some posting
guidelines and Reddiquette
● Surprisingly difficult to find conventional revenge porn
○ Found-images without identifying information or harassment
● New behaviour: self-policing
○ Perhaps thanks to new Privacy Policy
Finding One: Community Interaction
MyEx: Yelling into the Void Reddit: Reddiquette as community standard
Finding One: Community Interaction
MyEx.com: Highlighting unintended exposure
Reddit: Users calling each other out for not
following community guidelines
Finding Two: Relationship between poster and subject
● no personal relationship between photo subject and poster
● no captions with stories of betrayal
● little or no commentary calling for vengeful action against deserving “sluts”
● community based on appreciation of photos of anonymous, scantily-clad women
Reddit
Finding Two: Relationship between poster and subject
Expected behaviour from literature: a
community providing validation and
acceptance
Actual behaviour: ridicule and shame by
association
MyEx.com
Finding Three: Community Ethical Guidelines
Reddit
● Ethical guidelines driven by
the community, what users
feel uncomfortable with
● Consumption without intent
to harm deemed ethical
MyEx.com
● Moderators control posting and
removal
● Ethical guidelines driven by legality
● Potential for extortion
Finding Three: What Right?
Reddit
● Right of the subject
● Respect for subject’s right to privacy
MyEx.com
● Right of the consumer
● Aggressively defends right to consume
Questions?
?

Behind the Screen: How Platform-Specific Policy Affects Consumer Behaviour of Non-Consensual Pornography

  • 1.
    Behind the Screen HowPlatform-Specific Policy affects Consumer Behaviour of Non-Consensual Pornography L I L L I A N S. R I G L I N G North Carolina State University Libraries A M E L I A C L A R K S O N University of Toronto
  • 2.
  • 3.
  • 4.
  • 5.
  • 9.
    Legal Journals Criminalizing RevengePorn: ● Harassment defense ● The copyright defense ● Right to be forgotten defense Scholarly Literature ● Who is posting this content? ● Why?
  • 10.
    How do usersinteract with nonconsensual pornographic content? ?
  • 11.
    Methods ● 20 Posts*from MyEX.com (November 2015) ● 20 photo posts from non-consensual porn subreddits (November 2015) ○ 10 from OnOff ○ 10 from PhotoPlunder ● Policy documents from Reddit & MyEX.com (November 2015) *photos of men were excluded from the study
  • 12.
    MyEx.com ● No useraccounts or peer-to-peer interaction ● All content passed through a moderator ● Actively encourages users to include personal, identifying information
  • 13.
    MyEx.com ● “Doxxing”: 18of 20 posts ○ Phone number, social media accounts, addresses ● Violent language: 75% of posts ○ Sexual violence ○ Physical violence ● Racial slurs ● Underage content
  • 14.
    Reddit ● Has areputation for being lenient with offensive content ○ Content of Subreddits controlled largely by users though the site does have some posting guidelines and Reddiquette ● Surprisingly difficult to find conventional revenge porn ○ Found-images without identifying information or harassment ● New behaviour: self-policing ○ Perhaps thanks to new Privacy Policy
  • 15.
    Finding One: CommunityInteraction MyEx: Yelling into the Void Reddit: Reddiquette as community standard
  • 16.
    Finding One: CommunityInteraction MyEx.com: Highlighting unintended exposure Reddit: Users calling each other out for not following community guidelines
  • 17.
    Finding Two: Relationshipbetween poster and subject ● no personal relationship between photo subject and poster ● no captions with stories of betrayal ● little or no commentary calling for vengeful action against deserving “sluts” ● community based on appreciation of photos of anonymous, scantily-clad women Reddit
  • 18.
    Finding Two: Relationshipbetween poster and subject Expected behaviour from literature: a community providing validation and acceptance Actual behaviour: ridicule and shame by association MyEx.com
  • 19.
    Finding Three: CommunityEthical Guidelines Reddit ● Ethical guidelines driven by the community, what users feel uncomfortable with ● Consumption without intent to harm deemed ethical MyEx.com ● Moderators control posting and removal ● Ethical guidelines driven by legality ● Potential for extortion
  • 20.
    Finding Three: WhatRight? Reddit ● Right of the subject ● Respect for subject’s right to privacy MyEx.com ● Right of the consumer ● Aggressively defends right to consume
  • 21.