Revenge-porn website operator is convicted; prosecutor notes 'vindictive' is in his online alias
The operator of a revenge porn website called YouGotPosted.com faces up to 20 years in prison after his conviction on Monday on 21 counts of identity theft and six counts of extortion.
Judge David Gill of San Diego superior court in California ordered defendant Kevin Bollaert jailed on $500,000 bond pending sentencing, scheduled for April 3, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Users of UGotPosted.com posted more than 10,000 racy or nude photos of onetime lovers, mostly women, in retaliation for breakups. The posts included the victims’ names and cities, and often linked to their social media sites. Another website operated by Bollaert, ChangeMyReputation.com, then demanded money to take down the photos, according to the Union-Tribune and the Washington Post.
Defense lawyers had argued Bollaert was not responsible for the content posted on the website. According to a prior article by Ars Technica, revenge porn websites claim they are protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields website operators from liability.
Prosecutors, however, claimed Bollaert violated state laws on identity theft, which prevent personal information such as names and addresses from being used “for any unlawful purpose, including with the intent to annoy or harass.”
Deputy Attorney General Tawnya Boulan Austin had asked Gill to jail Bollaert pending sentencing. She argued that Bollaert “has no moral compass” and pointed to his Internet handle, which includes the word “vindictive.”
Deputy Public Defender Emily Rose-Weber countered that Bollaert, now a fast food worker who lives with his parents, is “on a trajectory that is positive.”
