Australia launches a world-first national reporting tool for revenge porn

Taking steps to reporting and removing revenge porn, a.k.a image-based abuse, can be arduous, both emotionally and regarding the amount of steps required to get it done.

Australia's government is aiming to make the process simpler, with the launch of a national portal for reporting instances of image-based abuse.

The portal will allow victims to report revenge porn online, and provide immediate access to support that had been previously been unavailable, according to a statement. A pilot phase will examine the complexity and the volume of the reports before the portal officially launches early next year.

The Australian government has pledged A$4.8 million (US$3.84 million) dedicated to the portal's development, as part of a A$10 million (US$8 million) plan to tackle image-based abuse.

State governments around Australia have been moving quickly to criminalise the non-consensual distribution of intimate images.

New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory recently introduced laws, catching up with Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia which have revenge porn legislation.

Queensland, the Northern Territory and Tasmania are yet to have specific laws on revenge porn, nor is there legislation on a federal level. However, the Australian government is looking closely at specific penalties for image-based abuse.

One in five Australians are victims of image-based abuse, according to a survey by RMIT earlier this year. The figure is more drastic for Indigenous Australians (one in two), people with a disability (one in two), and LGBTQ Australians (one in three).

While a necessary measure, laws and portals can only be reactive to abuse.

The onus is really on creepers to stop sharing images, but also the platforms which facilitate distribution — like Facebook, who introduced photo matching tech to combat revenge porn earlier this year.

[h/t Gizmodo]