🔗 Share this article From Professional Dominatrix to Technology Entrepreneur: A Unique Battle Against Intimate Image Abuse Madelaine Thomas states her first-hand ordeal of having her intimate images leaked offers her a distinct perspective as a technology entrepreneur. Professional dominatrix Madelaine Thomas is not at all your average startup entrepreneur. After multiple instances of individuals leaking her intimate photographs, she felt "angry enough to do something about it" and turned to tech solutions for answers. "These were striking images, I'm unapologetic of the photographs, I'm ashamed of the way that they were weaponized by someone who I have never met," stated Madelaine. Madelaine has received multiple accolades such as the Tech Safety Innovation award at a major safety summit. Little over a year since launching her company, Image Angel, which employs invisible forensic watermarking to identify abusers, has garnered significant recognition and was recommended as best practice in an independent pornography review earlier this year. This marks a significant shift from her previous career in offering consensual sexual encounters, dominating clients in the world of kink and bondage. A Widespread Issue The non-consensual sharing of private images, commonly known as image-based abuse, is a punishable crime with perpetrators facing up to two years in prison. It is far from an issue uniquely experienced by those in the sex industry. A study indicates that around 1.42% of the UK female population is impacted by intimate image abuse each year. Madelaine, thirty-seven, said survivors lived with feelings of humiliation. "In my view a lot of people will say, 'you put a saucy picture out on the internet, what do you anticipate?'," she said. "I expect respect, I expect consideration, and I expect trust, and I don't see why those are negotiable," she added. "The reality that those images could be subsequently distributed where I live or with my loved ones and used to hurt them, that's unacceptable, that's not a decision I made, that's not my mistake, that's an individual committing abuse." Madelaine hopes her tech will prevent would-be individuals from sharing photos without consent. A Unique Journey Madelaine has been working as a professional dominatrix, primarily online, for 10 years and consistently found her work empowering and fulfilling. "It's me as a woman in control, a woman who is confident and powerful, offering my body as a gift to someone because I wish to," she said. "Some believe it's unusual but I don't see it any differently to a personal trainer or an financial advisor providing a service," she added. She embraces being a unique figure in the world of tech. "I understand that it's bizarre, it's crazy to think that an individual who was a dominatrix is now a founder of a tech company, but it required someone who has been through it to understand the flaws and the modifications that were necessary," she explained. She maintained she was not technically inclined and was managed to build her company after many sleepless nights, investigation and "bugging people" who know about tech. Understanding the Tech Solution Image Angel can be implemented on any digital service where people share images, for instance social connection apps, social networks and online sites. When an image is accessed by a viewer, it is seamlessly tagged with an invisible forensic watermark which is specific to that viewer. This invisible watermark is encoded within the digital file of the image itself and can withstand screen shots, being edited and being re-captured with a secondary device. It ensures that if you find out your image has been shared non-consensually, providing the service you posted it on has the system integrated, the viewer's details will be hidden within the image and can be retrieved by a forensic expert so action can be taken. To date, one service has adopted her tech and she's in discussions with many others. An Established Method for a New Purpose "The system already exists in Hollywood, it already exists in sports broadcasting so this is not an untested concept, it's just a new application and a new system," explained Madelaine. "We have validated it, we're collaborating with a company 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 said she hoped the technology would also act as a deterrent to potential intimate image abusers. Changing the Narrative An advocate from a support service said she had seen directly the panic, distress and self-blame this abuse caused for victims. "If that self-blame is reinforced by a misinformed friend or service who says 'well, why did you take those images in the first place?' that guilt can really be deepened so it's really important that the response a victim receives is that they have not done anything wrong," she stated. She added it was inspiring that Madelaine was using her experience to bring about change, saying: "It is vital to have this comprehensive strategy towards tackling technology-enabled abuse, because a single solution is going to be able to solve this problem, not just support services, it needs to be this integrated effort." Both women have experienced having their private photos shared without their consent. TV presenter Jess Davies was only fifteen when images of her in a state of undress were circulated within her town. It was the first of several incidents Jess endured in her teens and 20s that would later inform her women's rights campaigning. "It required years, an excessive amount of time for someone to say to me, 'you are not to blame' and 'that shouldn't have happened'," recalled Jess. She too is dedicated to removing the stigma of intimate image abuse from the survivors to the offenders. "There is no offence to willingly share an photo to someone," said Jess. "However, it is illegal to circulate that without consent and I think that should always be where the responsibility is," she concluded.