Georgia Harrison shares revenge porn ‘struggle’
Kris Holland
BBC News, Essex
PA Media
Harrison is fronting a new two-part series looking at the issue of deepfakes and image-based abuse
Georgia Harrison has said she continues to “really struggle” with how a sexually explicit video of her remains readily available online.
The reality TV personality has been outspoken about her former partner Stephen Bear being convicted of sharing a private film of them having sex.
She waived her right to anonymity and Bear, 35, of Loughton in Essex, was jailed for 21 months in 2023.
The 30-year-old is fronting a two-part series with ITV, where she looks into the issue of deepfakes and image-based sexual abuse.
Asked about the biggest challenge in making the documentary, she said: “I would say obviously the hardest part for me was having to see how widespread my video still is.
“I have a lot of people messaging me all the time, sending me clips of it. It’s always something in the back of my mind, but having to really face head on exactly where it is and how many places it’s in was a real struggle for me.
“The only way for it to be impossible for not only my video but any victim of image-based sexual abuse’s video not to be online in the future is for there to be more awareness and for the government and higher-up companies within the internet to get together and face it head on.
“For me, I know it wasn’t the easiest thing to do, it was the best thing I can do for my future and other women’s future.”
In 2023, the previous Conservative government passed the Online Safety Act, requiring social media companies to protect users from harmful content.
But last month, the Labour government’s technology secretary Peter Kyle described UK laws on internet safety as “very uneven” and “unsatisfactory”.
Getty Images
Harrison read a statement outside Parliament in April 2023 as the former government’s Online Safety Bill was discussed in the House of Lords
Harrison, who has appeared on The Only Way is Essex and Love Island, also said she was regularly contacted by mothers whose children have been affected by fake videos created with artificial intelligence.
“It is the same feeling of humiliation, a violation of literally being de-clothed without your consent,” she said.
“It’s unconsented image-based abuse. Just because it’s fake, doesn’t mean it doesn’t evoke the same emotion within the victim it affects.”
Harrison hopes “raising awareness” of these issues can “hopefully” mean “change within the internet, so in the future not just me but any person who has been a victim of revenge porn won’t have to wake up every day wondering if it’s still out there”.
As part of her two-part series, Harrison met victims, a representative from a porn site and journalists.
She said: “I have so much faith that eventually we will live in a world where unconsented imagery is far harder to share, especially on the normal web.”
Harrison has also spoken to MPs on the Women and Equalities Committee and at the Labour Party Conference about her experience.
Bear was found guilty of voyeurism and two counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress.
He was released in January 2024 after serving about half his sentence in custody.
A spokesperson from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said: “Sharing intimate images online without consent is a vile trend which can inflict profound and lasting harm to victims, particularly for women and girls.
“Under the Online Safety Act it is a criminal offence to share or threaten to share intimate images, including deepfakes, without consent.
“Last year we strengthened laws to provide greater protections for adults, particularly women.
“These measures require platforms to proactively tackle deepfake intimate image abuse and prevent it from appearing altogether.”
Georgia Harrison: Porn, Power, Profit airs on 18 and 19 February at 21:00 GMT on ITV2 and ITVX
