Platforms as Crime Scene, Judge, and Jury: How Victim-Survivors of Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery Report Abuse Online

Paper Title

Platforms as Crime Scene, Judge, and Jury: How Victim-Survivors of Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery Report Abuse Online

Publication Info

• Topic area: Reporting experiences of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) victim-survivors on online platforms.
• Keywords: NCII, institutional betrayal, online platforms, reporting systems, trauma-informed design, victim-survivors, content moderation, online abuse, platform accountability, policy implications.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Online platforms act as central actors in NCII cases, yet their reporting systems are hostile, opaque, and ineffective. Victim-survivors face challenges such as re-traumatization, inadequate responses, and systemic barriers to content removal.
• Significance: NCII is a pervasive form of abuse with severe psychological and social impacts. Platforms’ failures exacerbate harm, leaving victim-survivors without meaningful recourse and undermining trust in digital institutions.
• Motivation and related work: Prior research has focused on NCII’s psychological and legal aspects but has not adequately explored victim-survivors’ experiences with platform reporting systems or the role of platforms as institutional actors. This study addresses these gaps by applying institutional betrayal theory to online platforms.

Solution

• Proposed approach: The study investigates NCII victim-survivors’ reporting experiences on online platforms through trauma-informed interviews and institutional betrayal theory, identifying intervention points for redesigning reporting systems and shaping policy.
• Novelty:
  1. Empirical insights into NCII victim-survivors’ reporting experiences.
  2. Theoretical application of institutional betrayal theory to online platforms.
  3. Development of a trauma-informed research methodology.
  4. Design and policy recommendations for improving reporting systems.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 U.S.-based NCII victim-survivors.
  • Analyzed data using the Institutional Betrayal Questionnaire-2 (IBQ-2) as a deductive framework, combined with inductive thematic analysis.
  • Explored participants’ experiences with reporting processes, platform responses, and the broader implications of institutional betrayal.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Reporting systems are difficult to navigate, requiring victim-survivors to fit complex harms into narrow categories, often forcing re-engagement with abusive content.
  • Platform responses are frequently delayed, opaque, or inadequate, with content often remaining visible during review.
  • Victim-survivors experience institutional betrayal, including denial of their experiences, punitive actions, and systemic failures to prevent harm.
  • Many participants ultimately disengage from platforms, feeling betrayed and unsafe.
• Advantage over baselines: The study highlights gaps in existing platform governance and reporting systems, offering actionable insights for trauma-informed design and policy interventions.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Interviews with a diverse sample of 13 participants who experienced NCII.
  • Analysis of reporting experiences across multiple platforms and institutions.
  • Application of institutional betrayal theory to identify systemic failures and intervention points.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Focused on U.S.-based participants; findings may not generalize to other legal and cultural contexts.
  • Limited to victim-survivors who engaged with reporting systems; early deterrents to reporting remain underexplored.
  • Future work should examine cross-platform reporting mechanisms, independent oversight bodies, and survivor-centered policy frameworks.

Summary

This study examines how NCII victim-survivors navigate online platform reporting systems and the institutional betrayal they experience. Through trauma-informed interviews with 13 participants, the research identifies systemic failures in reporting processes, including opaque responses, inadequate actions, and re-traumatization. Platforms’ failures exacerbate harm, leading many victim-survivors to disengage entirely. By applying institutional betrayal theory, the study highlights actionable design and policy recommendations, such as trauma-informed reporting systems, transparent communication, and independent oversight mechanisms. These findings underscore the urgent need for systemic, survivor-centered interventions to address NCII and restore trust in digital platforms.