WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission banned Craig Brittain, operator of several revenge porn websites, from posting nude photos or videos of women without their consent.
The DailyBeast reports that under the settlement with the FTC, Brittain will also have to destroy all the images and other personal information related to the women.
Brittain has not been fined or jailed for his actions. The FTC in fact lacks the power to fine first-time offenders.
The FTC’s complaint against Craig Brittain alleges that he used deception to acquire and post intimate images of 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. Brittain operated IsAnybodyDown, ObamaNudes.com and other sites.
“This behavior is not only illegal but reprehensible,” said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “I am pleased that as a result of this settlement, the illegally collected images and information will be deleted, and this individual can never return to the so-called ‘revenge porn’ business.”
Brittain acquired the images in a variety of ways, including by posing as a woman on Craigslist, and offering nude photos (falsely stating they were of himself) in exchange for photos of other women. He then posted the photos he received on his site without their knowledge or permission.
In addition to collecting and posting the images himself, Brittain solicited viewers of his site to anonymously submit nude photos of people to him. He required that submissions include sensitive personal information about the people in the photos, including their full name, location, phone number and Facebook profile.
In addition to soliciting and posting these images, the FTC alleges he also ran a fake content-removal service and deceptively advertised it to women under the name Takedown Hammer or Takedown Lawyer.
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 express consent, and from misrepresenting how he will use any personal information he collects online.
To see the extended FTC report, click here.
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