🔗 Share this article From Dominatrix to Technology Entrepreneur: An Unconventional Fight To Combat Intimate Image Abuse Madelaine Thomas says her first-hand ordeal of having her intimate images leaked gives her a unique insight as a technology entrepreneur. Professional dominatrix Madelaine Thomas embodies far from your average tech founder. Following repeated instances of clients leaking her intimate photographs, she felt "sufficiently outraged to take action" and looked to technology for a solution. "Those were beautiful pictures, I'm not ashamed of the pictures, I'm ashamed of the manner that they were weaponized by someone who I don't know," stated Madelaine. Madelaine has won several awards including the Tech Safety Innovation award at a major industry conference. Little over a year after launching her company, Image Angel, which employs invisible forensic watermarking to identify perpetrators, has won several awards and was cited as best practice in an independent pornography review earlier this year. This represents quite a departure from her background in providing consensual sexual encounters, dominating clients in the world of kink and bondage. The Pervasive Problem Intimate image abuse, commonly known as revenge porn, is a criminal offence with perpetrators facing up to two years in prison. It is not at all an issue exclusively faced by those in the sex industry. A study suggests that approximately 1.42% of the UK female population is affected by this form of abuse on an annual basis. Madelaine, thirty-seven, said survivors lived with feelings of humiliation. "In my view a lot of people will comment, 'you shared a saucy picture out on the internet, what do you expect?'," she said. "I expect dignity, I expect consideration, and I expect confidence, and I don't see why those are up for debate," she continued. "The reality that those images could be then shared in my community or with my loved ones and used to hurt them, that's beyond, that's not a decision I made, that's not an error on my part, that's someone being an abuser." Madelaine aims her technology will deter potential individuals from sharing photos non-consensually. A Unique Journey Madelaine has been practicing as a dominatrix, mainly online, for 10 years and always found her work empowering and fulfilling. "It's me as a dominant woman, a woman who is empowered and strong, offering my body as a treat to someone of my own volition," she said. "Some believe it's unusual but I view it similarly to a nutritionist or an accountant providing a service," she remarked. She embraces being a unique figure in the world of tech. "I know that it's unconventional, it's remarkable to think that an individual who was a dominatrix is now a creator of a technology firm, but it required someone who has experienced it firsthand to understand the flaws and the modifications that needed to happen," she explained. She maintained she was not in the least bit techy and was able to build her company after many late nights, investigation and "consulting experts" who understand tech. Understanding the Tech Solution Image Angel can be implemented on any online platform where people exchange photos, for instance social connection apps, social media and online sites. When an image is accessed by a user, it is automatically embedded with an invisible forensic watermark which is specific to that viewer. This invisible watermark is embedded into the digital file of the image itself and can withstand screenshots, being edited and being photographed with a secondary device. It ensures that if you discover your image has been shared non-consensually, as long as the platform you posted it on has the technology embedded, the viewer's details will be hidden within the image and can be extracted by a forensic expert so action can be taken. To date, one service has implemented her tech and she's in talks with many others. Proven Technology, New Application "The system is already in use in Hollywood, it is employed in sports broadcasting so this is not an untested concept, it's just a novel use and a different framework," explained Madelaine. "We have validated it, we're partnering with a company that has decades of expertise in developing technology so we know that this is solid and what we now need to do is deploy it widely," she added. She said she hoped the technology would also act as a preventive measure to would-be intimate image abusers. Changing the Narrative An expert from a support service commented she had seen directly 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 'well, why did you take those images in the first place?' that self blame can really be reinforced so it's crucial that the support a victim receives is that they have committed no error," she emphasized. She added it was fantastic that Madelaine was leveraging her ordeal to bring about change, saying: "It is really important to have this comprehensive strategy towards tackling technology-enabled abuse, because a single solution is going to be able to tackle this alone, no one helpline, it needs to be this multi-layered response." Both women have experienced having their private photos distributed non-consensually. TV presenter Jess Davies was only fifteen when images of her in a state of undress were circulated within her town. It was the first of several incidents Jess endured in her teens and 20s that would later shape her women's rights campaigning. "It took so long, an excessive amount of time for someone to tell me, 'you are not to blame' and 'that was wrong'," recalled Jess. She too is dedicated to removing the stigma of intimate image abuse from the survivors to the perpetrators. "It isn't a crime to consensually send an photo to someone," stated Jess. "But it is a crime to circulate that non-consensually and I think that should always be where the responsibility is," she concluded.