Revenge Porn Or Resistance? What Azealia Banks’ Conor McGregor Nude Post Says About Boundaries, Power And The New Rules Of Digital Consent [Op-Ed]

A New Federal Law Changes the Rules

Earlier this year, President Trump signed the Take It Down Act, the first federal law of its kind to criminalize the public sharing of intimate images without consent, including AI-generated deepfakes and altered visuals.

The law doesn’t care whether the image was solicited or not. It doesn’t care if the sender is widely known, if they have a reputation, or even if the image was a repeat offense. If you post someone’s intimate image publicly without their consent—and the person is identifiable—you could be held criminally responsible.

Platforms are now required to remove flagged content within 48 hours. Individuals found guilty of violating the law can face up to two years in prison, or three if the image involves a minor.

What used to be handled as a patchwork of state laws is now a federal matter. While that might offer new protections for victims of image-based abuse, it also means those who respond publicly to unsolicited content—especially in the heat of the moment—could face consequences, too.

Power, Intent, and the Price of Going Public

For many people who’ve received explicit content they didn’t ask for, the impulse to post it isn’t about revenge. It’s about making visible what someone thought they could do in private without consequence. It’s about saying, “You did this to me, and I want people to see what that looks like.” However, posting an unsolicited nude, even in protest, transforms a private violation into a public one. In doing so, the person who was harmed can become the person who causes harm, at least in the eyes of the law.

That tension is at the heart of the Azealia Banks situation. Whatever your opinion of her—and plenty of us have strong ones—there’s something undeniably familiar in the way a woman’s rage was immediately put on trial, even though she says she was harassed first.

When that woman is a Black woman, the scrutiny is even sharper. The grace is thinner. The assumption of innocence is often off the table.

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Black feminist scholars have long examined the complexities of how Black women pursue justice in systems that often fail to protect them. In The Crime Scene of Black Suffering, historian Dr. Kali Gross challenges the notion that liberation must always look respectable or state-approved. Responding to how Black women are expected to suffer quietly or wait for legal remedy, Gross writes, “For some women, justice will be had by any and every means.” Her words speak to a broader truth: when formal channels fail—or have historically ignored your pain—taking matters into your own hands isn’t always about revenge. Sometimes it’s survival. Sometimes it’s protest. In that context, posting an unsolicited nude becomes less about spectacle and more about saying, “You will not violate me in silence.”

You Don’t Owe Protection—But You Do Own the Outcome

There’s no clean answer here. If someone sends you an explicit image without your consent, you have every right to be angry. You have every right to feel disgusted, disrespected, and ready to fight back. However, that fight needs to be chosen with possible consequences you can live with. Even if you didn’t start it, once you go public, you are no longer just the recipient—you’re also the distributor. That shift might not feel fair, but it is real. In the eyes of the law, that’s what will matter most.

For Those Who Need It: Resources

If you’ve experienced image-based abuse (or simply want to understand your rights) these resources can help:

StopNCII.org

A global tool to help prevent the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.

Cyber Civil Rights Initiative

Offers legal support, advocacy, and a crisis helpline.

RAINN

The nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, offering confidential support.

Even when the law is slow to catch up, even when people judge the tone instead of the truth, your story—and how you tell it—is still yours. Just make sure you can live with what comes next.

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