Platforms as Crime Scene, Judge, and Jury: How Victim-Survivors of Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery Report Abuse Online

2025-12-15

AI Summary

This study identifies systemic secondary victimization experienced by non-consensual intimate image (NCII) survivors during platform reporting—characterized by hostile, opaque, and inefficient processes that exacerbate trauma. Drawing on trauma-informed, in-depth interviews with 13 survivors and thematic analysis, it pioneers the application of institutional betrayal theory to NCII platform governance, revealing structural failures including trauma-erasing interface design, inconsistent moderation responses, and low takedown rates. The research synthesizes seven actionable policy and interaction design interventions and proposes a survivor-centered framework for redesigning reporting systems. Key contributions include: (1) theoretically positioning platforms as institutional betrayers; (2) introducing the first empirically grounded, survivor-informed model for optimizing NCII reporting mechanisms; and (3) providing evidence-based guidance for platform governance and digital gender-based violence intervention. (149 words)

Technology Category

• Computer Vision: Bias, Fairness & Privacy
• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Natural Language Processing: Ethics — Bias, Fairness, Transparency & Privacy

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Consent frameworks and practices on the web
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics for personalization
• Security and Privacy: Data transparency and provenance

Abstract

Non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), also known as image-based sexual abuse (IBSA), is mediated through online platforms. Victim-survivors must turn to platforms to collect evidence and request content removal. Platforms act as the crime scene, judge, and jury, determining whether perpetrators face consequences and if harmful material is removed. We present a study of NCII victim-survivors' online reporting experiences, drawing on trauma-informed interviews with 13 participants. We find that platform reporting processes are hostile, opaque, and ineffective, often forcing complex harms into narrow interfaces, responding inconsistently, and failing to result in meaningful action. Leveraging institutional betrayal theory, we show how platforms' structures and practices compound harm, and, in doing so, surface concrete intervention points for redesigning reporting systems and shaping policy to better support victim-survivors

Problem

• Platforms inadequately handle non-consensual intimate imagery reports
• Reporting systems are hostile, opaque, and ineffective for victim-survivors
• Platform structures compound harm, requiring redesign and policy interventions

Innovation

• Studying victim-survivor reporting experiences via trauma-informed interviews
• Analyzing platform reporting systems as hostile, opaque, and ineffective
• Applying institutional betrayal theory to identify redesign and policy interventions