Psychologists at the University of Bedfordshire’s National Centre for Cyberstalking Research (NCCR), with help from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, have devised the Harassment and Revenge Porn (HARP) survey, to understand people’s experiences of the abuse.

Revenge Porn is defined as the sharing of private sexual material – such as photos or videos – of another person, without their consent and with the purpose of causing them embarrassment or distress.

The offence carries a two-year prison sentence and applies to electronic and more traditional forms of sharing.

Dr Emma Short, Director of the NCCR, said:

“Revenge porn represents a highly understudied area of abuse. We have designed the HARP survey to bridge that data gap.

“The questionnaire aims to record the impact of revenge porn on victims of the offence. It will collect a broad range of data that will subsequently inform support services and increase awareness of the issue.”

Those who have experienced any incidents of revenge porn and wish to take part in the survey can do so here

All answers will be treated confidentially and no identifying electronic information will be stored. Participants will be able to withdraw at any time during the six months the survey is live.

Results of the survey will be made available on the NCCR website

For further information, contact emma.short@beds.ac.uk

Notes for editors

The National Centre for Cyberstalking Research (NCCR) works in partnership with other organisations, aiming to address emerging threats from online environments and raise awareness amongst professionals and the public. It aims to do this by increasing activity in high quality research and making findings available to public bodies and government agencies.