Just as the internet is a place of ideas, communication and socialization, it has it’s predators. Hackers, identity thieves, cyber-bullies and revenge pornographers remind us that for all its benefits, there are risks that can be just as devastating and sometimes more so than the risks and dangers of “real life.”
For anyone who hasn’t heard of it, revenge p*rn entails hacking into a women’s email account, stealing intimate pictures of her and putting them on the internet. It’s the digital version of a misogynistic guy trashing an exes revenge because, she ultimately rejected him. It’s intended to demean and a woman, ruin her reputation well beyond her circle and that of her attacker. Nothing would please the “king” of revenge porn more than if someone committed suicide because of the contents of his site. There are no words to adequately describe someone who sets up a revenge p*rn site, reviles in the danger it poses to his victims and longs for the day that someone commits suicide as a result of being humiliated on his site. Of course, because Moore got rich catering to the basest misogynistic instincts, he is one of those makers Republicans talk about.
The survivor of revenge p*rn faces humiliation. She can lose her job. Since her address was included with the pictures, she was vulnerable to “visits” from users and sympathizers of her jilted ex.
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No one does revenge p*rn sleazier than Hunter Moore. Hunter Moore, dubbed the “king” of revenge p*rn by his fans hacked into these women’s email accounts himself or paid others to do it. He profited from the misogynist’s delight in exacting revenge on the women who said no and took a sociopathic level of glee in knowing the suffering his “service” caused. Charming guy that he is, Moore once boasted to the Village Voice about all the money he’d make if someone killed themselves as a result of site’s content. The man reveled in being the slimiest of slime.
In 2011, Moore created the site “Is Anyone Up” as a mechanism for jilted misogynists to get even with their exes for deciding to end the relationship. He didn’t stop at publishing intimate photos of women without their consent. After a year, Moore got “bored” looking at nude pictures of children and ironically, sold the revenge p*rn site to an anti-bullying site. At the time, he said that he got “burned” by humiliating women and children. He swore that he had changed for the better.
Then came 2012, when Moore announced he has a new revenge p*rn site. Not only would HunterMoore.TV, be a vehicle for jilted misogynists to humiliate their exes by publishing their nude pictures, but their addresses would be posted so that supporters and sympathizers of the jilted could bring the harassment and bullying to the victim’s home.
One can almost imagine the Dick Cheney smirk on his face when Moore said while announcing this new feature: “All those people thought they were safe. Nah.”
The mother of one victim sought the FBI’s assistance in 2011 after learning her daughter’s pictures were on the site. In 2012, Anonymous vowed to “hold Moore accountable for his actions.”
Authorities arrested Moore and another man on suspicion of hacking into websites and stealing sexually explicit photos that were later found on Moore’s website in 2014.
The combined efforts of Facebook, Anderson Coopers survivors of revenge p*rn and their loved ones, the FBI and Anonymous took time, but ultimately netted the desired results. The King of p*rn lost his cyber kingdom and now he’s going to pay the price that comes with years of profiting from and looking at nude pictures of children and women.
On Wednesday, prosecutors announced that, as the result of a plea deal the former “king” will spend up to seven years in jail and 3 years on probation.
According to MSN, Moore is going back to court on February 25th, but his plea agreement is expected to be pushed back to March.
“I’m pleased he’s going to prison,” said Charlotte Laws, the mother of one of Moore’s alleged victims who helped prompt the FBI to examine his website. “I think it gives him and his followers time to grow up and get out of their misogynistic, childish hating of women and trying to ruin their lives.”
When a reporter asked Moore about the people who wanted their photos removed from his website, Moore is reported to have said: “I understand it can hurt your reputation and your job and yadda yadda yadda.”
But then, did we really expect anything resembling remorse? After all, when a woman starts acting like a person and deciding to end relationships before the man gives her permission to, a price has to be paid and Moore was there to profit from making it happen.
Now Moore’s sites are down, and in time he will be going to jail. We understand how much it hurts when a “king” has to pay for actions that are so slimy and sociopathic there are no words to adequately describe them. However, there are words when a slime ball like this gets his just desserts. Don’t let the cell door slam you on the butt on your way in. Oh and yadda, yadda, yadda.
Former contributor.
