Twitter has struck a blow for personal privacy with a decision to ban so-called “revenge porn.”
The social network’s policy now falls in line with UK law which as of last month made posting revenge porn a criminal offence.
Anyone who posts indecent pictures of someone without their consent can now face up to two years in jail, according to changes in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, the BBC says.
Twitter rules now stipulate: "you may not post intimate photos or videos that were taken or distributed without the subject's consent.”
Users who break the rule will reportedly have their accounts blocked.
As for what qualifies, the following explains all:
"Photographs or films which show people engaged in sexual activity or depicted in a sexual way or with their genitals exposed, where what is shown would not usually be seen in public.”
The rules also apparently apply to text messages.
Get Safe Online CEO, Tony Neate, welcomed the move by Twitter and urged other sites to follow suit.
“We fully support Twitter bringing in this new rule, especially on the back of the law changing in February meaning that perpetrators can be prosecuted and could serve up to two years in prison,” he said in a statement.
“A high-profile site like Twitter making these changes raises the issue with people across all demographics and we urge other social media sites to follow suit.”
Neate added that only education will make a lasting difference.
“I’m sure if you spoke to many of the people who have posted revenge porn, they wouldn’t have thought at any point that they have committed what is effectively a criminal sexual offence the same as a physical assault,” he said.
“This is a problem we see with online safety across the board – be it shopping scams to trolling, people just don’t think about online crime as being as serious as physical crime and this must change.”