By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – It won’t be easy building a criminal case against the creators and users of a website allegedly displaying nude photos of former students from Bloomington High School and dozens of other Illinois secondary schools.
McLean County State’s Attorney Jason Chambers says a prosecution becomes even more complicated because the website is based outside of the U.S.
“It can be difficult to get them here.” said Chambers. “Plus, you also have to prove where the photographs are taken, because sometimes it wouldn’t be enough just to say, alright, well, the victim was from here,” the prosecutor added.
“We’d have to actually be able to prove that the photographs, which might be of a minor, were taken here as well,” Chambers also said.
He said the website is not a place even for concerned citizens, who suspect someone they know is photographed there.
Chambers remarked, “Sometimes seeing that, for a normal, healthy mind, is not what you want to see, right?”
Last week, a Chicago TV station reported the website’s image boards featured logos of 67 Illinois high schools. Users can request photos of students, identifying them by name and graduating classes.
Chambers has also noticed more cases of revenge porn in recent years, and he hopes increased publicity will encourage victims to seek help.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at howard.packowitz@cumulus.com.
