FTC Cracks Down on Revenge Porn Site Owner

(CN) - The Federal Trade Commission banned the operator of a revenge porn website from posting nude photos or videos of women without their consent.

According to the FTC, Craig Brittain used deception to acquire and post intimate images of more than 1,000 women, then referred them to another website he controlled, where they were told they could have the pictures removed if they paid hundreds of dollars.

In some instances, the government said, Brittain posed as a woman on the advertising site Craigslist, and offered nude photos purportedly of himself in exchange for photos provided by others. When women provided him with the photos, Brittain posted them on his site without their knowledge or permission, the FTC said.

In addition to collecting and posting the images himself, Brittain also solicited viewers of his site to anonymously submit nude photos of people to his site, the complaint says. He required submissions to include sensitive personal information about the people in the photos, including their full name, town and state, phone number and Facebook profile.

But Brittain didn't stop there. The agency said in addition to posting the photos and videos of women, he also advertised content removal services under the name "Takedown Hammer" and "Takedown Lawyer" that could delete consumers' images and content from the site in exchange for a payment of $200 to $500.

"This behavior is not only illegal but reprehensible," said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Under the terms of the settlement, Brittain is required to permanently delete all of the images and other personal information he received during the time he operated the site.

He will also be prohibited from publicly sharing intimate videos or photographs of people without their affirmative express consent, as well as being prohibited from misrepresenting how he will use any personal information he collects online.

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