That’s why activists have been pushing for a federal revenge porn law. California Rep. Jackie Speier is leading efforts to craft such legislation. And even if legislation isn’t the best solution, the threat of federal interference could motivate more sites to crack down on the content.
“If tech platforms wanted to step up and tackle this issue, they could do so much more than laws to eradicate this issue over time,” said Mary Anne Franks, a law professor at Miami Law School and vice president of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, an anti revenge porn advocacy group.
Tech companies have more resources and expertise than the government to come up with innovative solutions. They could work together on fixes, like they have for suicide prevention and child exploitation. For example, a shared database of flagged images could prevent the same photo from reappearing on other sites.
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Whether it’s a heartfelt change in culture, fear of being criminally liable in the future, or a savvy business move to help it grow beyond its current 9,000 communities, Reddit’s small privacy update is a big deal.
Now the spotlight is on other tech companies to take a similar stand.
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