UPLOADING and sharing explicit images of former partners is now a crime, following a year of campaigning by Basingstoke’s MP.

As previously reported by The Gazette, Maria Miller had been calling for a law to protect the victims of so-called “revenge pornography”.

Now, that campaign has ended in success, with a law passed making it illegal to upload sexually explicit images online without the consent of the person.

But Mrs Miller has vowed to continue her fight against online crimes, urging social media sites to take action to remove illegal material to help protect thousands from what she calls “a modern day form of abuse”.

The Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, which contained a specific amendment dealing with the issue of “revenge porn”, received Royal Assent enabling it to become law.

As a result, offenders of the crime will face up to two years in prison and the law will cover images sent on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, and those sent by text message.

There are currently an estimated 30 websites in the UK that are used by ex-partners to post intimate pictures of former partners and people who are the subject of images usually find that they are impossible to remove from the internet, as they are often reproduced on other websites within minutes.

In addition to the law, a helpline for victims, which will be run by the South West Grid for Learning charity, has been launched to offer support to victims who are affected by the crime.

Mrs Miller welcomed the passing of the law, saying: “The appalling problems created by revenge pornography were first raised with me by a Basingstoke resident almost a year ago.

“When I spoke to the police they were clear that it was not necessarily illegal for naked or explicit images to be posted online without permission. That is why I have campaigned for this change in the law to make posting revenge porn online a crime.

“Revenge pornography posted online is a modern day form of abuse. The law has to keep up with the problems that the internet can create.”

She added: “I have asked internet service providers and social media sites to put in place an industry code of practice for the removal of illegal material such as revenge pornography. They have done it for child abuse images – we need to see more action against other online crime.”

More on this story