‘Cyberflashing’ Victims Double in 5 Years
Difficulty Tracing Senders and Low Punishment Levels Are Issues
Cases of ‘cyberflashing,’ where nude photos or sexual images are sent to an unspecified number of people through social networking services (SNS) or online communities, are reportedly increasing.
On the 8th, Yonhap News cited the contents of the “2023 Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Report” by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korea Women’s Human Rights Institute, reporting this trend.
According to the report, the number of victims of ‘cyberbullying’ supported by the Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Center increased from 251 in 2018 to 500 last year, doubling in five years.
Among the victims, 90.2% (451 people) were women, and 9.8% (49 people) were men. By age group, teenagers (192 people, 38.4%) and people in their 20s (232 people, 46.4%) accounted for the majority.
▲Cases where unwanted sexual harassment is conducted through communication devices such as mobile phones ▲Cases where sexual images are unilaterally sent are defined as cyberbullying in the report.
Singer Soyou appeared on a YouTube channel last May and revealed, “I really get a lot of photos in Instagram DMs saying things like ‘I can satisfy you.’” She lamented, “I have tried filing complaints, but it’s hard to catch people on Instagram.”
Apple’s short-range wireless file sharing system for iPhones, ‘Airdrop,’ which allows sending photos and files to Apple devices within a 9-meter radius, is also known to be used for cyberbullying.
Joo Mo, a 22-year-old female college student, told Yonhap News, “Last year, on my way to school at a bus stop, I received a nude photo via Airdrop,” adding, “A woman next to me was also surprised when she saw the phone, and it seems someone nearby waiting for the bus distributed such photos.”
Such acts can be punished under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act for obscenity using communication media, but it is difficult to trace the sender, and the punishment level is low. Because of this, most victims reportedly do not report the incidents.
Attorney Kwak Junho of Cheong Law Firm told Yonhap News, “In most first-time offenses, the punishment is limited to fines,” adding, “Repeated offenses may be subject to the Stalking Punishment Act, but the criteria for ‘acts causing anxiety and fear’ are not clearly defined.”
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