In 2014, a then-unknown user – OriginalGuy – hacked over 250 iCloud accounts belonging to celebrities and other high-profile individuals. The hacker obtained the personal photographs from digital devices belonging to the victims and posted them on sites such as 4Chan and Reddit. Over 400 intimate photos, many displaying the victims nude, were instantly spread across the internet.
Some of the celebrities victimized by the hack included:
Shortly after the hack, actor Jennifer Lawrence expressed outrage and frustration in an interview with Vanity Fair.
“It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime,” Lawrence said. “It is a sexual violation. It’s disgusting. The law needs to be changed, and we need to change.”
One of the survivors who was victimized in the 2014 iCloud hack and is working to change the laws is Uldouz Wallace. Dordulian Law Group spoke with Uldouz about the bill she’s created – The Protect Act – and how it can help change the laws to better protect everyone from image-based sexual abuse.
Image-based sexual abuse (also known as ‘revenge porn’) refers to the act of sharing sexually explicit images or videos of an individual without that person’s consent for purposes of exploitation. In the images, the survivor (or victim) is typically nude and/or engaged in a sexual act.
IBSA can include creating, threatening to share, sharing, or using recordings (still images or videos) of sexually explicit or sexualized materials without the consent of the person depicted. And it’s important to note that IBSA can take place with images and videos captured through any number of scenarios, including:
According to EndCyberAbuse.org, the nonconsensual images or videos can be posted and spread across any number of platforms:
Furthermore, as EndCyberAbuse.org notes, these images may also be shared offline, and sharing/spreading images or videos that have been photoshopped or otherwise altered in any way (commonly known as deepfakes) is now one of the most prevalent forms of image-based sexual abuse.
Survivors of image-based sexual abuse can be victimized by complete strangers, as was the case for many of the celebrities in the 2014 iCloud hack. But the leaking of nude photos or videos also commonly occurs after relationships end – a practice known as revenge porn.
For Uldouz, her ex-boyfriend took some pictures and a video of her without her consent. When she broke up with him, he threatened to leak the intimate images and video (although Uldouz called his bluff and the man wasn’t actually the one who actually released the content). Instead, a hacker who was stalking Uldouz and a number of other women auctioned off the pictures on the dark web and they were later leaked on various platforms.
“When I first found out about the leak, my heart dropped and I ended up isolating myself for years. I lost everything – friends, family, relationships, work, opportunities, money, followers, reputation, character – the list goes on and on. What looked like a promising future and career turned into trauma and abuse overnight,” Uldouz said.
After several years of struggle, Uldouz decided not to remain silent. She took action and, virtually singlehandedly, went on a mission to help prevent image-based sexual abuse from harming others.
“The experience made me realize that there are no laws against this type of crime on the Internet. I decided that I want to change the law and set better laws to protect future generations. The laws need to be updated to match new technology,” Uldouz said.
“We need to focus on being proactive instead of reactive when it comes to image-based sex abuse. Otherwise, we’re always 10 steps behind the criminals,” Uldouz added.
But changing laws in an ever-evolving space like the internet is a tall order even for elected officials. Without any roadmap or playbook for how to effect chance, Uldouz began contacting senators, congresspeople, and other lawmakers to tell her story and encourage them to get behind new legislation to protect everyone from image-based sexual abuse.
She testified on Capitol Hill and began working with lawmakers and other survivors of image-based sexual abuse to create The Protect Act. Additionally, Uldouz recently became an advisor for the White House Task Force. She met with federal officials in January to discuss implementing laws that will not only protect online users but also hold platforms accountable.
“I became an adviser for the White House Task Force, and in working together I’m giving them my recommendations for how we can create better laws to protect everyone – but particularly children and teenage girls who are predominantly impacted,” Uldouz said.
The White House Task Force focuses on online harassment and abuse and has expressed concern about the issue of IBSA. Uldouz shared her personal story along with other survivors, and together with the White House Task Force, they are taking steps to better protect users.
During the meeting, topics of focus included how to better train law enforcement to handle image-based sexual abuse crimes and also how to ensure that online platforms take steps to verify age consent of anyone who is uploading content and whose image is being used anywhere on the internet.
Our Sexual Assault Justice Experts are here to help survivors secure justice. Contact our top-rated attorneys online or by phone for a free consultation today.
DLG was founded by Sam Dordulian a former sex crimes prosecutor in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and member of RAINN’s National Leadership Council. Dordulian and his team of Los Angeles, California, sexual assault attorneys have helped survivors secure countless multi-million dollar sex crime settlements. Contact us today at 866-GO-SEE-SAM to discuss your image-based sexual assault lawsuit.
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