🔗 Share this article Transitioning from BDSM Practitioner to Tech Founder: An Unconventional Campaign To Combat Intimate Image Abuse Madelaine Thomas explains her first-hand ordeal of having her private photos leaked gives her a unique insight as a tech founder. BDSM practitioner Madelaine Thomas represents not at all your average startup entrepreneur. After multiple instances of clients distributing her intimate photographs, she felt "sufficiently outraged to do something about it" and looked to technology for a solution. "Those were beautiful pictures, I'm unapologetic of the photographs, I'm embarrassed of the way that they were used against me by an individual who I have never met," explained Madelaine. Madelaine has received several awards such as the Innovation in Tech Safety award at a prominent safety summit. Just over a year after founding her venture, Image Angel, which uses covert digital tracking to track abusers, has won several awards and was recommended as best practice in an independent pornography review earlier this year. This represents a significant shift from her previous career in offering BDSM services, working with clients in the world of BDSM. The Pervasive Problem Intimate image abuse, commonly known as image-based abuse, is a punishable crime with offenders facing up to two years in prison. It is far from an issue exclusively faced by those in the sex industry. A report suggests that approximately 1.42% of the women in the UK is impacted by intimate image abuse on an annual basis. Madelaine, thirty-seven, said survivors endured feelings of humiliation. "In my view a lot of people will comment, 'you shared a private image out on the internet, what do you anticipate?'," she noted. "I demand dignity, I expect consideration, and I expect trust, and I don't see why those are negotiable," she continued. "The fact that those images could be subsequently distributed in my community or with people I love and used to hurt them, that's beyond, that's not a decision I made, that's not my mistake, that's someone committing abuse." Madelaine aims her tech will prevent potential intimate image abusers non-consensually. A Unique Journey Madelaine has been working as a professional dominatrix, mainly online, for 10 years and consistently found her work empowering and fulfilling. "I am as a dominant woman, a woman who is empowered and strong, offering my body as a gift to someone because I wish to," she said. "Some believe 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 a unique figure in the technology sector. "I understand that it's bizarre, it's crazy to think that an individual who was a dominatrix is now a founder of a technology firm, but it took someone who has been through it to know the flaws and the modifications that needed to happen," she stated. She maintained she was not in the least bit techy and was managed to build her company after a lot of sleepless nights, research and "consulting experts" who know about tech. Understanding the Tech Solution Image Angel can be implemented on any digital service where people share images, for instance dating apps, social networks and websites. When an image is viewed by a user, it is seamlessly tagged with an undetectable digital marker which is specific to that viewer. This invisible watermark is embedded into the digital file of the image itself and can withstand screenshots, being altered and being re-captured with a secondary device. It means that if you find out your image has been circulated without your consent, as long as the platform you posted it on has the technology embedded, the viewer's details will be encoded in the image and can be extracted by a data recovery specialist so action can be taken. Currently, one service has implemented her tech and she's in discussions with many others. Proven Technology, New Application "This technology already exists in Hollywood, it is employed in live television so this is not brand new technology, it's just a novel use and a different framework," explained Madelaine. "We have validated it, we're collaborating with a company that has 30 years experience in developing technology so we know that this is reliable and what we now need to do is deploy it widely," she added. She said she believed the technology would also act as a preventive measure to potential perpetrators. Removing Stigma, Shifting Blame An expert from a support service commented she had seen first-hand the panic, distress and self-blame this abuse caused for victims. "If that self-blame is compounded by a misinformed friend or professional who says 'what did you expect?' that self blame can really be reinforced so it's really important that the support somebody is provided with is that they have committed no error," she stated. She added it was inspiring that Madelaine was leveraging her ordeal to create solutions, saying: "It is vital to have this comprehensive strategy towards addressing technology-enabled gender-based abuse, because a single solution is going to be able to solve this problem, not just support services, it needs to be this integrated effort." Madelaine Thomas and TV presenter Jess Davies have been victims of experiencing their private photos shared non-consensually. TV presenter Jess Davies was just 15 when photographs of her in her underwear were shared around her local community. It was the first of several incidents Jess experienced in her teens and 20s that would later inform her advocacy work. "It required years, too long for someone to tell me, 'it wasn't your fault' and 'that shouldn't have happened'," recalled Jess. She too is dedicated to removing the stigma of intimate image abuse from the victims to the offenders. "There is no offence to willingly share an image to someone," said Jess. "However, it is illegal to circulate that without consent and I think that should invariably be where the responsibility is," she affirmed.