Google takes steps to crack down on revenge porn

The images will still exist but won't come up on a list when people look for them.

In a blog post the company's Vice President Amit Singhal said it will apply to "nude or sexually explicit images".

Google has, in the past, resisted attempts for it to take down online content from those search results.

The update is expected to come in over the next couple of weeks.

Amit Singhal admits: "We know this won't solve the problem of revenge porn.

"We aren't able, of course, to remove these images from the websites themselves, but we hope that honouring people's requests to remove such imagery from our search results can help."

The law changed earlier this year so anyone in England and Wales caught sharing intimate photos or videos of a former partner without their permission could face up to two years in jail.

Both Scotland and Northern Ireland are considering similar laws.

Revenge porn laws do already exist in some US states including California, Texas, and Utah.

Newsbeat met 24-year-old Anisha last year, whose ex-boyfriend was jailed for six months in New Jersey, after he posted sexually explicit photos of her on several websites.

In June, Newsbeat spoke to an American YouTube star who's pursuing a landmark revenge porn case in the UK.

Chrissy Chambers found explicit photos of herself online, which she claims were uploaded by her British ex-partner.

She's now pursuing a civil action against him.

She wants an apology, monetary damages and to hold the copyright and control of the sexually explicit material.

As well as this, Chrissy and her lawyers are also seeking criminal charges and have lodged a complaint with police.

(BBC)