In November of last year, Bob interviewed Craig Brittain, the founder and operator of a revenge porn website called 'Is Anybody Down?' The interview elicited strong reactions from the audience, because of the contentiousness between Bob and Craig, most notably their last exchange, in which Bob tells Craig there's more dignity in starving than in running a revenge porn site.
But if Brittain's twitter feed is to be believed, he has had a change of heart and is now out of the revenge porn business.
In April of this year, Brittain confusingly stopped using the 'Is Anybody Down' domain and moved all of the content from his old site to a site called 'Obamanudes'. But last week he wrote that he was shuttering that site too.
Is Anybody Down?, ObamaNudes etc. are now officially over. I wont be starting another 'site'. The content is also permanently gone.
— Craig R.S. Brittain (@CraigRSBrittain) May 24, 2013
Brittain conceded that he made a moral misstep in making these websites but continued to deny that he attempted to extort money from people whose pictures appeared on his site, as claimed by Marc Randazza in our interview from November.
I apologize to anyone who may have been hurt on a moral level. I was wrong, on a moral level. I am sorry.
— Craig R.S. Brittain (@CraigRSBrittain) May 24, 2013
My wrongdoing is moral, there was not any legal wrongdoing. I admit my immorality, but I played within the legal rules.
— Craig R.S. Brittain (@CraigRSBrittain) May 24, 2013
Andrew Contiguglia, a lawyer who represents several of the women whose pictures were posted on Is Anybody Down and Obamanudes, told CBS Denver that Brittain's legal problems aren't over simply because he shuttered his website.
Brittain says he is looking to sell the domain names and has completely erased the content that appeared on the website, but has offered to sell the personal info of the people who submitted pictures to his website. Law and technology blogger Adam Steinbaugh pointed out on Twitter that selling the information of submitters is a violation of the contract posted on Brittain's websites and could open him up to further legal action.
If anyone wants to buy the old domains I am selling them. I am also willing to reveal submitter info at cost. Email wildoutwildout@gmail.com
— Craig R.S. Brittain (@CraigRSBrittain) May 24, 2013
In ending his revenge porn site, @craigrsbrittain says he's selling the info of the submitters. Er, contract? twitter.com/adamsteinbaugh…
— Adam Steinbaugh (@adamsteinbaugh) May 24, 2013
While Is Anybody Down may be gone, revenge porn is alive and well. A new website that encourages Snapchat users to take screenshots of nudes and submit them (images and content mildly NSFW) has attracted a ton of press and followers. Meanwhile, both Florida and California are considering bills that would make it a crime to post a nude picture online without the subject's consent. And earlier this month, a woman sued her ex-boyfriend and four porn websites for posting 'nude photos and/or videos, including private facts and details of the victim, posted online without the subject's consent.'
