🔗 Share this article Transitioning from BDSM Practitioner to Technology Entrepreneur: A Unique Campaign Against Revenge Porn Madelaine Thomas says her first-hand ordeal of experiencing her private photos leaked gives her a distinct perspective as a tech founder. Professional dominatrix Madelaine Thomas represents far from your typical tech founder. Following multiple instances of individuals leaking her intimate photographs, she was "sufficiently outraged to do something about it" and looked to technology for a solution. "Those were beautiful pictures, I'm not ashamed of the photographs, I'm ashamed of the way that they were used against me by someone who I don't know," stated Madelaine. Madelaine has received multiple accolades including the Tech Safety Innovation award at a major industry conference. Just over a year since founding her venture, Image Angel, which employs invisible forensic watermarking to identify perpetrators, has garnered significant recognition and was cited as exemplary procedure in an independent pornography review earlier this year. This marks a significant shift from her previous career in providing BDSM services, dominating clients in the world of kink and bondage. The Pervasive Problem Intimate image abuse, commonly known as revenge porn, is a punishable crime with offenders facing up to two years in prison. It is not at all an issue uniquely experienced by those in the adult entertainment sector. A study indicates that approximately 1.42% of the UK female population is impacted by intimate image abuse each year. Madelaine, thirty-seven, said victims endured feelings of humiliation. "In my view a lot of people will say, 'you shared a saucy picture out on the internet, what do you expect?'," she said. "I expect dignity, I expect respect, and I expect trust, and I don't see why those are negotiable," she continued. "The reality that those images could be then shared where I live or with my loved ones and used to hurt them, that's unacceptable, that's not a decision I made, that's not my mistake, that's someone committing abuse." Madelaine aims her technology will prevent potential intimate image abusers without consent. A Unique Journey Madelaine has been practicing as a dominatrix, primarily online, for 10 years and always found her work empowering and fulfilling. "I am as a dominant woman, a woman who is confident and powerful, giving my body as a treat to someone of my own volition," she said. "People think it's unusual but I don't see it any differently to a personal trainer or an accountant giving advice," she remarked. She embraces being something of an anomaly in the world of tech. "I know that it's unconventional, it's crazy to think that someone who was a dominatrix is now a founder of a technology firm, but it required someone who has been through it to understand the loopholes and the modifications that were necessary," she stated. She insisted she was not in the least bit techy and was managed to build her company after many late nights, research and "bugging people" who know about tech. Understanding the Tech Solution Image Angel can be used by any digital service where people exchange photos, for instance dating apps, social media and websites. When an image is viewed by a user, it is automatically embedded with an undetectable digital marker which is unique to them. This covert marker is encoded within the digital file of the image itself and can withstand screenshots, being edited and being photographed with a secondary device. It means that if you discover your image has been circulated non-consensually, providing the platform you used has the system integrated, the sharer's information will be hidden within the image and can be extracted by a forensic expert so action can be taken. Currently, one service has adopted her tech and she's in talks with several more. Proven Technology, New Application "This technology is already in use in Hollywood, it is employed in sports broadcasting so this is not an untested concept, it's just a new application and a different framework," explained Madelaine. "And we've tested it, we're partnering with a firm that has decades of expertise in tech development so we know that this is reliable and what we now need to do is deploy it widely," she continued. She said she hoped the technology would also act as a preventive measure to would-be perpetrators. Removing Stigma, Shifting Blame An expert from a leading helpline said she had seen first-hand the panic, distress and self-blame this abuse caused for victims. "When that guilt is reinforced by a uninformed acquaintance or professional who says 'well, why did you take those images in the first place?' that self blame can really be deepened so it's really important that the support somebody is provided with is that they have committed no error," she emphasized. She added it was inspiring that Madelaine was leveraging her ordeal to bring about change, saying: "It is really important to have this multi-layered approach towards addressing tech facilitated gender-based abuse, because no one tool is going to be able to tackle this alone, not just support services, it needs to be this integrated effort." Both women have been victims of having their intimate images distributed non-consensually. TV presenter Jess Davies was only fifteen when photographs of her in a state of undress were circulated within her town. It was the first of several incidents Jess experienced in her youth that would later inform her women's rights campaigning. "It required years, too long for someone to tell me, 'it wasn't your fault' and 'that was wrong'," recalled Jess. She too is passionate about eliminating the shame of this crime from the survivors to the offenders. "There is no offence to consensually send an image to someone," said Jess. "But it is a crime to distribute that non-consensually and I think that should invariably be where the responsibility is," she affirmed.