Sign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features
Get the Independent Women email for free
Hollywood star Amber Heard has spoken out in support of a bill fighting non-consensual pornography. She said that its online distribution of it should be made a crime.
The Aquaman spoke of the "humiliation" she experienced when more than 50 "private" photographs were stolen from her phone in 2014 as she expressed her support for the Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution (SHIELD) Act.
It aims to to "address the exploitation of private, sexually explicit or nude images often referred to as 'revenge porn' or 'sextortion'", according to the website of US congresswoman Jackie Speier who is sponsoring the bill with her colleague John Katko.
If passed into law it would establish "federal criminal liability" for individuals who share non-consensual pornography on the Internet.
"Once private, intimate content is released to the Internet it is virtually impossible to remove it from online spaces, further subjecting victims to harassment and judgement from strangers and acquaintances alike," Heard told a crowd at the Capitol Visitor Centre in Washington DC.
The actors fighting against sexism in Hollywood
Show all 12
"It can result, and often does, in devastating economic, social, psychological and even physical consequences."
Heard said she experienced several of these consequences when her "private images were stolen, manipulated and released to the public online".
"I continue to be harassed, stalked and humiliated by the theft of those images and those who abuse them," she said.
Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events
The "privacy rights" of individuals who are on a lower income, the LGBT+ community and women of colour are at "far greater risk" in relation to the online distribution of non-consensual pornography, she added.
The bill is backed by Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies