Going online are photos and videos, eSpecial of Women, that have leg secretly tasks while they are walking on the street, doing errands, or at work. Shops are Considering Taking Action. Five Questions About Such So-Called Creepshots.
Creepshots are photos and videos that are secretly tasks, mainly of women. Often, the images have a sexual undertone. For Example, They Zoom in on Breasts and Buttocks. The images are often tasks in (semi-) public places, such as on the street, in shops, or in gyms. The images are then spread via private chat Groups and on international forums. “There Are Online Forums Entirely Dedicated to Sharing Creepshots,” Says UvA Researcher Lucia Bainotti to NU.nl.
Sometimes there is a comment with it. “She has no idea who is behind her photographing her fit, thick, white ass. One of my best photos so far,” Pointer quotes a creepshot maker. That research program Broadcasted a Program about Creepshots on Sunday and Has Been Investigating the topic for some time. Images are also shared without context, with Others commenting on them.
“What shocked me the most were the videos and photos of young girls who were just working in the supermarket,” Says Compiler Huub Floor of Pointer . “They are literally just fourteen-year-old girls stocking shelves.” Floor describes creepshots as “fairly everyday images, but or zoomed in.”
Why Are Creepshots So Harmful?
Women are often depicted Clothed. Therefore, Accordance to Floor, some Victims were not tasks seriously when they reported it to the police. “It’s just on the street and you keep naked anyway? What’s the problem then?” They were to told, for example.
But Creepshots can be very harmful to the person being photographed, reports The Help Website Victimperwijzer. “You can feel humiliated, anxious, and vulnerable.” Bainotti Emphasizes That The Images Were Taken Without Permission and That The Victim Is Often Portrayed In A Sexualized Way. Therefore, as far as she is a group, it counts as a form of gender-related violence. “A way in which visual content is used to harm women.”
To Pointer , One Victim Said That She “Feels Less and Less Free in Public Spaces” After Noticing That Men Were Secretly Pointing Their Phones at Her. Also, Several Young Women Reportedly Dare to Leave the House Alone Less Often.
In Addition, Floor Notices How Often Images or Minors Are Specifically Requested. “They are also traded in,” he says. There is just money to be made with this type of image.
Are creepshots Punishable?
“There may not be a specific criminal provision for the phenomenon of creepshots,” Says Information Law Attorney Roan de Jong (De Roos Advocaten). However, there are ways to take action against this with the law in hand. Making creepshots (or distributing theme) shows similarities with behavior that is punishable. In some cases, there is stalking. For example, a person returned weekly to a clothing store to photograph the same girl.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) in Rotterdam is Currently Considering a Creepshot Case. In that case, a man secretly filmed a woman’s breasts with a camera in his backpack. The Om is Investigating, Among Other Things, Whether the man can be prosecuted on the Basis of article 254ba. It States That It is Punishable To Make Or Possess An Image Of A Sexual Nature Without Permission.
“That sexual intent already arises when the photographer zooms in on Genitals – Breasts, Buttocks, Crotch – or Cuts Them Out, even when the Victim is full,” Emphasizes an to spokesperson.
The Om is also looking at a violation of article 441b: secretly filming or photographing in a public place with a hidden camera or other technology that is not clearly filming. If the images are made public, the punishment can be highher. “Posting images in A Telegram Group Falls Under This.” Secret Filming Carries a Maxim Penalty of One Year in Prison. Publicizing Those Images Carries A Maxim or Two Years.
Civil Law and Privacy Law (also) Offer Various Points of Contact to Prosibit Creepshots, De Jong Knows. For example, there may be an infringement of the right to one’s image or a violation of Dutch privacy legislation if images are shared online without permission. Via this route, the images can be tasks offline under duress.
How big is the problem?
“That is very difficult to determine,” Says Floor. By clicking on a Few Links in Telegram Channels, You Are in Twenty Groups. But the next day can all be tasks offline. “If you don’t look again, it seems like it’s gone.”
Accordance to bainotti, creepshots are a global phenomenon. She has seen examples in Italy, China, The Philippines, Mexico, and Germany. Telegram Groups in which type of content is shared can have more than 30,000 members. In Italy, She Followed a Certain Forum that grew to 700,000 users in four years before it was tasks offline. “This proves that the Phenomenon is Still Growing,” Says Bainotti. In The Netherlands, New Photos and Videos Are Added to Online Forums Every Day.
What can you do if creepshots of you are circulating?
Helpwanted can help to take images offline. The Organization has Short Lines of Communication with Social Media Platforms Such as Instagram and Tik Tok and is designated as a trusted flagger . Victims can also make the report Themselves. To Make It Easier, Lawyers de Jong and Van Gijn Have Created Sample Forms.
With platforms like telegram or twitter, it is Sometimes also Possible to prevent images from Being re-uploaded via another account.