Anti-sexual violence group wants privacy watchdog to step up over non-consensual intimate image sharing
Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog should intervene actively in helping victims of image-based sexual violence, anti-sexual violence group RainLily said, as it has helped remove almost 90 percent of non-consensual intimate images on the internet for its assistance seekers.
RainLily, a service unit of the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women said it handled 646 request-for-assistance related to image-based sexual violence from April 2021 to March this year.
It provided “Take-Down Assistance” support to 1342 non-consensual intimate images published online to platforms such as pornography websites, Telegram, and LIHKG, removing 89 percent of them.
The group said intimate images published on pornography websites and social media were the hardest to take down, as the operators of such websites have not given much attention to the issue, while it is also rare for such websites to have an established mechanism or policies in handling complaints.
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Meanwhile, the group noted that some victims have thought of reaching out to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data for assistance, yet such request may go unanswered as current legislation were unable to bring the perpetrators to justice if no other personal information were disclosed along with the intimate images.
The group called on the privacy watchdog to review its established mechanism in determining what information could be classified as personal information, and intervene actively in helping victims of image-based sexual violence.