🔗 Share this article From Professional Dominatrix to Tech Founder: A Unique Campaign To Combat Intimate Image Abuse Madelaine Thomas explains her first-hand ordeal of experiencing her private photos shared without consent offers her a distinct perspective as a technology entrepreneur. BDSM practitioner Madelaine Thomas is far from your typical tech founder. Following multiple occurrences of clients leaking her intimate photographs, she was "angry enough to do something about it" and looked to tech solutions for a solution. "These were striking images, I'm not ashamed of the pictures, I'm ashamed of the manner that they were used against me by an individual who I have never met," explained Madelaine. Madelaine has received multiple accolades such as the Tech Safety Innovation award at a major safety summit. Just over a year since launching her company, Image Angel, which employs covert digital tracking to track perpetrators, has garnered significant recognition and was cited as exemplary procedure in an independent pornography review earlier this year. This represents a significant shift from her previous career in offering consensual sexual encounters, working with clients in the world of BDSM. A Widespread Issue The non-consensual sharing of private images, commonly known as image-based abuse, is a criminal offence with perpetrators facing up to two years in prison. It is far from an issue exclusively faced by those in the adult entertainment sector. A report suggests that approximately 1.42% of the women in the UK is impacted by intimate image abuse each year. Madelaine, thirty-seven, said survivors lived with feelings of humiliation. "I think a lot of people will comment, 'you put a saucy picture out on the internet, what do you expect?'," she noted. "I demand respect, I expect consideration, and I expect trust, and I don't see why those are negotiable," she added. "The fact that those images could be subsequently distributed where I live or with my loved ones and used to hurt them, that's beyond, that's not my choice, 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 working as a dominatrix, mainly online, for 10 years and consistently found her work liberating and satisfying. "I am as a dominant woman, a woman who is empowered and strong, giving my body as a treat to someone of my own volition," she said. "Some believe it's unusual but I don't see it any differently to a nutritionist or an accountant giving advice," she added. She embraces being something of an anomaly in the world of tech. "I know that it's bizarre, it's remarkable to think that an individual who was a dominatrix is now a founder of a technology firm, but it required someone who has experienced it firsthand to know the flaws and the modifications that needed to happen," she stated. She insisted she was not technically inclined and was able to build her company after many late nights, research and "bugging people" who understand tech. How Does the Technology Work? Image Angel can be implemented on any digital service where people share images, for instance social connection apps, social networks and websites. When an image is viewed by a viewer, it is automatically embedded with an undetectable digital marker which is unique to them. This covert marker is encoded within the digital file of the image itself and can survive screen shots, being edited and being re-captured with a different camera. It ensures that if you find out your image has been shared non-consensually, as long as the platform you used has the technology embedded, the sharer's information will be hidden within the image and can be extracted by a data recovery specialist so legal steps can follow. To date, one platform has implemented her tech and she's in talks with several more. Proven Technology, New Application "The system is already in use in the film industry, it already exists in live television so this is not an untested concept, it's just a new application and a different framework," explained Madelaine. "We have validated it, we're partnering with a firm that has 30 years experience in developing technology so we are confident that this is solid and what we now need to do is deploy it widely," she added. She expressed hope she believed the technology would also act as a preventive measure to potential perpetrators. Removing Stigma, Shifting Blame An advocate from a leading helpline commented she had seen first-hand the panic, distress and self-blame intimate image abuse inflicted on victims. "When that guilt is compounded by a misinformed friend or service 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 response somebody is provided with is that they have not done anything wrong," she stated. She added it was fantastic that Madelaine was using her experience to bring about change, saying: "It is vital to have this multi-layered approach towards tackling tech facilitated 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 multi-layered response." Both women have experienced experiencing their intimate images distributed without their consent. TV presenter Jess Davies was just 15 when images of her in her underwear were circulated within her town. It was the first of several incidents Jess experienced in her teens and 20s that would later inform her advocacy work. "It took so long, an excessive amount of time for someone to tell me, 'you are not to blame' and 'that was wrong'," said Jess. She too is passionate about removing the stigma of this crime from the survivors to the perpetrators. "There is no offence to consensually send an image to someone," said Jess. "However, it is illegal to circulate that non-consensually and I think that should invariably be where the responsibility is," she affirmed.