European division of company behind X is on trial for distributing nude images

The case started when a young woman went to the Institute for Equality of Women and Men (IGVM) in 2020 because she had been the victim of intimate images being distributed without consent.

The images of the woman were widely shared via X, then still Twitter. The video images were placed in the middle of another, innocent video, bypassing the automatic filters that Twitter had built in to prevent nudity.

The Institute repeatedly asked the platform to remove the images. Twitter did this a few times, but then refused to do it again, thus violating Belgian law that prohibits the distribution of so-called ‘non-consensual nude images’, according to the Institute. According to the IGVM, the procedures for removing nude images were also problematic. In other cases, it sometimes took months after the request before the platform actually removed the images and the victim was asked to provide personal information, such as a copy of the identity card.

In December 2020, the Institute for Equality of Women and Men therefore filed a criminal complaint against the company behind the social media platform. Since July 1 of that year, the institute had the authority to provide legal assistance to victims whose intimate images were distributed without consent, and it was the first time that the IGVM went to court against a social media platform.

The Institute for the Equality of Women and Men does not wish to comment while the legal proceedings are ongoing and asks that attention be paid to the well-being of the victim in any reporting on the case.