I imagine Kevin Bollaert’s eyes were so red because he spent all his days trolling behind a computer, but no. They were red from crying in court.
The 28-year-old San Diego-based “entrepreneur” filled his bank account with a website called UGotPosted.com, where angry exes could post unauthorized nudes of their former girlfriends (the site was dominated by photos of females) including the woman’s personal information (name, address, social media handles.)
But Bollaert made the most dough from the sister site he operated called ChangeMyReputation.com, where victims would pay fees of $350 to have their photos removed. The site grew increasingly popular: a dumping ground where angry exes could point, laugh and comment about the people who rejected them.
Revenge porn.
After a public trial (that included testimonies from victims attesting to public shame, job loss and damaged relationships due to the website), Bollaert was sentence to 18 years in prison. This was a landmark case for revenge porn. Bollaert sat in the courtroom in his blue jumpsuit and cried as the sentence was read. Boo hoo, asshole.
I think the Internet is great because it brings people closer together. However, I also think the Internet sucks because it brings certain people closer together while creating a space for others to never have to interact with the outside world. It dehumanizes everything.
And while Bollaert may not have invented the idea of posting vengeful nude pics of your ex to humiliate them, but he profited from it.
Today, a good friend of mine texted me asking when it is the appropriate time in a relationship to send nudes. Without thinking much, I said, “Well, you’ve already slept together. He’s seen you naked, so go for it.”
But maybe that answer was wrong. There’s no innocent courting anymore in modern dating. We fuck then we decide if we want to get to know that person and actually spend time with them and not just their naked body.
There’s nothing wrong with this. It’s just the way it is.
However, we share and document everything. Any lawyer worth their salt would tell you not to type anything you are afraid will bite you in the ass later, so if you don’t want your naked body displayed in ways you never intended, then maybe you should not send that nude.
Can we really blame the victims though? People change their tune. I watch people break up and go from zero to “Fuck You” in one scroll of text messages. I think of all the dick pics I have that I could expose. I would never do that, because I’m not grasping at confidence through the shame of others.
I’m glad Bolleart is going to jail. He’s getting his. I don’t want to credit karma because karma did not do this: the victims did it by standing up for themselves and declaring this website as an intrusion of rights, an act of extortion.
Just because you send a nude to your boyfriend does not mean you should loss your job as a teacher. That’s not right.
Revenge porn is gross and Bollaert will learn all about revenge in prison when he’s getting his ass beat along side the child molesters.
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