Image Abuse: The Focus Should Be on Consent, Not Nudity

What happened?

A report by the organization Chayn, cited by BBC Technology, denounces that tech companies and authorities are failing women by focusing on nudity rather than consent when dealing with online image abuse. The actress and activist involved in the report warns that the situation is more complex than just 'nudity', and that any image shared without consent, whether sexual or not, can be abusive. The report, titled 'Beyond Nudity', analyzes how content moderation policies of platforms like Meta, Google, and Twitter disproportionately focus on explicit sexual content, leaving victims of other types of image abuse unprotected. For example, everyday photos, such as a woman in her kitchen or at a family gathering, can be manipulated with deepfakes or shared in humiliating contexts without any nudity. The study is based on interviews with survivors of image abuse in several countries, including India, Brazil, and the UK, and reveals that 73% of victims reported that platforms did not take adequate action when they reported non-sexual but equally abusive images. Chayn, a global organization that uses technology to combat gender-based violence, has worked with lawmakers and tech companies to push for changes, but the report notes that progress is slow. The anonymous actress, known for her role in a Netflix series, shared her experience: a former coworker posted a photo of her sleeping on a plane on social media without her consent, tagging her with degrading comments. Despite reporting it, the platform only removed the image after it went viral, initially arguing it did not violate nudity policies. This case illustrates the gap between policy and actual harm.

Why is it important?

The current focus on nudity has serious consequences: many abusive images are not explicitly sexual but cause profound harm. For example, everyday photos manipulated or shared in humiliating contexts. By failing to recognize these forms of abuse, victims lack resources to report, and platforms do not act with due diligence. This perpetuates digital gender-based violence and normalizes privacy violations. According to data from the Pew Research Center, 41% of US adults have experienced some form of online harassment, and women are twice as likely as men to experience sexual or image-based harassment. In 2022, a University of Melbourne study found that 89% of non-consensual image abuse cases involved non-sexual content, such as everyday photos used for stalking or public humiliation. The focus on nudity also ignores the impact of deepfakes, which can create fake images of a person without their consent, often without explicit sexual content but for defamation or extortion. Chayn's report highlights that current moderation policies, based on keyword lists and algorithms trained to detect nudity, fail to capture these forms of abuse. For example, a photo of a woman in work clothes shared on a harassment forum may not be automatically detected, and manual reporting often results in automated responses saying 'no policy violation found'. This creates a disproportionate burden on victims, who must repeatedly explain the context of the abuse. Additionally, legal authorities in many countries, such as the US and UK, only criminalize the distribution of 'intimate' or 'sexual' images, leaving out other types of abuse. In contrast, countries like Germany and France have moved toward broader laws that penalize any non-consensual distribution of private images, regardless of content. Chayn's report calls for global harmonization of laws to reflect the reality of digital abuse.

Consequences and needed changes

The report demands that content moderation policies be based on consent, not nudity. Companies like Meta, Google, and Twitter must review their reporting systems and apply real sanctions. Additionally, legislation is needed to criminalize the non-consensual distribution of any private image, regardless of its content. Readers should know that sharing a photo without permission, even if it 'shows nothing', can be abuse, and that resources such as helplines and legal advice exist. Specifically, Chayn recommends that platforms implement a consent-based reporting system, where the victim can indicate whether the image was shared without their permission, regardless of visual content. It also suggests that tech companies invest in artificial intelligence that can detect the context of an image, such as the presence of harassment or humiliation, rather than just nudity. Meta, for example, has begun testing tools for detecting 'non-consensual image abuse' on Instagram, but the report criticizes that these tools are not yet available globally and that the reporting process remains confusing. Regarding legislation, the report cites the UK's Intimate Image Abuse Act of 2021, which covers only sexual images, leaving gaps for other types. In contrast, Mexico's Digital Violence Law, passed in 2020, penalizes any distribution of private content without consent, including non-sexual images. Chayn calls for other countries to follow this example. Furthermore, the consequences for victims go beyond emotional harm: the report notes that 45% of image abuse victims report having lost job opportunities or been harassed at work after images were disseminated. Platforms, for their part, face regulatory pressure: the European Union's Digital Services Act, in effect since 2024, requires platforms to assess and mitigate risks of online gender-based violence, which could force changes in moderation policies.

What readers should know

The case of the anonymous actress in the report illustrates how even innocuous images can be used to harass. Victims should document everything, report to platforms, and seek support from organizations like Chayn. Social awareness is key to changing the narrative: consent is the red line, not nudity. For readers, it is important to understand that image abuse is not limited to sexual photos; any image shared without permission can be part of a campaign of harassment, stalking, or humiliation. If someone is a victim, they should save screenshots, URLs, and any evidence of non-consensual distribution. Reporting on the platform is the first step, but if there is no response, they can turn to organizations like Chayn, which offers legal advice and emotional support in multiple languages. There are also helplines such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline in the US or the Digital Violence Helpline in Latin America. On a social level, readers can contribute by not sharing images of others without their explicit permission, and by questioning narratives that blame the victim for 'having taken the photo'. Chayn's report highlights that 60% of respondents did not know that sharing a non-sexual photo without consent could be considered abuse, underscoring the need for digital education. Finally, readers should pressure lawmakers to update privacy and digital violence laws, and tech companies to implement consent-based policies. Change depends not only on platforms but on a cultural transformation that recognizes consent as fundamental in all digital interactions.