The dissemination of images that contain sexual content or that violate an individual’s privacy typically results in a negative outcome. Just ask a 22-year-old man who was recently apprehended by the National Police in Elche for the alleged offence of uncovering and disclosing secrets. The incident consisted of two entirely private photographs of a 20-year-old girl, an apparent “anonymous” social media profile, insults, degradation, and threats of publishing additional images, and an unexpected conclusion. This narrative, which culminated in an arrest, can be summarised in this manner.

This all began with a complaint lodged by a 20-year-old woman at the Elche Police Station. The officers were informed by the young woman that her partner had received two photos of her having intercourse with a man through an unknown social media profile. The officers were informed by the young woman that she had never granted her consent to disseminate these images or to be recorded. She was completely oblivious of the existence of these frames until the messages arrived. Consequently, her astonishment and indignation were evident when she observed these two screenshots, which appeared to have been derived from a video.

Nevertheless, the situation did not conclude at that point. The complainant had also received insults, harassment, and threats that additional images similar to those sent to her companion would be published from the same profile.

Based on these initial indications, the Elche Judicial Police initiated an inquiry to determine the perpetrator of these incidents. This is the method by which they identified the purported perpetrator. Nevertheless, the outcome must have been entirely and utterly astounded: the individual who had allegedly created the social media profile, forwarded the images, and insulted, harassed, and threatened the young woman was her own partner.

The young man was apprehended by National Police officers for the alleged discovery and disclosure of secrets. This offence is classified as a violation of the right to privacy, the right to one’s own image, and the inviolability of the home. The fact that the young man, according to investigative sources, had a criminal record, albeit for different offences, is significant in this instance.

It appears that these types of complaints are not prevalent, at least in the context of the information provided. That does not imply, as the National Police has been warning for some time and as statistics confirm, that cybercrimes have been gaining ground. “Cybercrimes” refers to the use of a computer or any other digital technology to commit an illegal activity, even if that technology enables what was previously a traditional crime. They caution against this and emphasise the significance of preserving privacy in the social media era.