Teencreepshots and Reddit

Creepshots are pictures or videos taken without consent of those depicted, without their knowledge, and shared online without their knowledge or consent. This form of “nonconsensual porn” affects people of all ages – including teens who may be targeted by men in public spaces who take photos or video without their knowledge, often targeting women for photographs of their cleavage, butt or breasts.

One Toronto woman was targeted by an individual using a drone to take pictures of her in public places – such as work – and post them online forum. That individual, identified as Reddit user “violentacrez,” who moderated r/CreepShots which later closed due to public outrage, has since been identified.

But Reddit’s Community Guidelines prohibit posting about minors; nevertheless, some dozens of creepshot blogs remain active. Some are limited in scope – for instance one accepts only photos taken of women from downtown Toronto; r/CreepShots provides users who identify themselves with real names that can easily be searched on the site.

Reddit users who defend the right to post whatever they like on Reddit have come out in support of action against sites like r/CreepShots and similar forums that feature photos of underage individuals, which has led to calls for Reddit to crackdown. But while momentum for action grows, so has backlash from users defending their right to publish anything they like on these platforms.