🔗 Share this article Transitioning from Dominatrix to Technology Entrepreneur: An Unconventional Battle Against Intimate Image Abuse Madelaine Thomas says her personal experience of having her intimate images leaked gives her a distinct perspective as a technology entrepreneur. Professional dominatrix Madelaine Thomas is far from your average tech founder. Following multiple instances of individuals distributing her intimate photographs, she felt "angry enough to do something about it" and looked to technology for a solution. "These were beautiful pictures, I'm unapologetic of the pictures, I'm embarrassed of the manner that they were weaponized by an individual who I don't know," said Madelaine. Madelaine has won several awards such as the Tech Safety Innovation award at a prominent industry conference. Little over a year after founding her venture, Image Angel, which uses covert digital tracking to identify perpetrators, has garnered significant recognition and was recommended as exemplary procedure in an government-commissioned study earlier this year. This marks quite a departure from her background in providing BDSM services, working with clients in the realms of BDSM. A Widespread Issue Intimate image abuse, commonly known as revenge porn, is a criminal offence with offenders risking two years in prison. It is far from an issue uniquely experienced by those in the adult entertainment sector. A report indicates that approximately 1.42% of the UK female population is affected by this form of abuse each year. Madelaine, 37, explained survivors lived with feelings of humiliation. "I think a lot of people will comment, 'you put a saucy picture out on the internet, what do you anticipate?'," she said. "I expect respect, I expect consideration, and I expect confidence, and I fail to understand why those are up for debate," she continued. "The fact that those images could be then shared in my community or with my loved ones and employed to cause them pain, that's beyond, that's not my choice, that's not my mistake, that's someone being an abuser." Madelaine hopes her tech will deter would-be intimate image abusers without consent. A Unique Journey Madelaine has been practicing as a professional dominatrix, mainly online, for a decade and consistently found her work liberating and satisfying. "I am as a dominant woman, a woman who is confident and powerful, giving my body as a treat to someone of my own volition," she said. "Some believe it's unusual but I don't see it any differently to a nutritionist or an financial advisor giving advice," she added. She welcomes being a unique figure in the world of tech. "I understand that it's bizarre, it's remarkable to think that an individual who was a dominatrix is now a founder of a technology firm, but it took someone who has experienced it firsthand to understand the loopholes and the modifications that needed to happen," she explained. She maintained she was not technically inclined and was able to build her company after a lot of late nights, research and "bugging people" who understand tech. How Does the Technology Work? Image Angel can be implemented on any online platform where people exchange photos, for instance social connection apps, social networks and websites. When an image is accessed by a user, it is seamlessly tagged with an invisible forensic watermark which is unique to them. This invisible watermark is embedded into the digital file of the image itself and can survive screen shots, being edited and being re-captured with a different camera. It means that if you find out your image has been circulated without your consent, as long as the platform you used has the technology embedded, the sharer's information will be hidden within the image and can be extracted by a data recovery specialist so legal steps can follow. To date, one platform has adopted her tech and she's in talks with several more. Proven Technology, New Application "This technology already exists in the film industry, it is employed in sports broadcasting so this is not an untested concept, it's just a novel use and a new system," explained Madelaine. "We have validated it, we're partnering with a company that has decades of expertise in tech development so we know that this is solid and what we now need to do is deploy it widely," she added. She said she believed the technology would also act as a deterrent to potential intimate image abusers. Changing the Narrative An advocate from a leading helpline said she had seen directly the panic, distress and self-blame this abuse caused for victims. "When that guilt is compounded by a misinformed friend or service who says 'what did you expect?' that self blame can really be deepened so it's really important that the support somebody is provided with is that they have not done anything wrong," she stated. She added it was inspiring that Madelaine was using her experience to create solutions, adding: "It is really important to have this comprehensive strategy towards tackling technology-enabled abuse, because no one tool is going to be able to solve this problem, no one helpline, it needs to be this integrated effort." Madelaine Thomas and TV presenter Jess Davies have experienced having their intimate images distributed without their consent. TV presenter Jess Davies was only fifteen when photographs of her in a state of undress were circulated within her local community. It was the beginning of multiple violations Jess experienced in her youth that would later inform her advocacy work. "It took so long, an excessive amount of time for someone to tell me, 'it wasn't your fault' and 'that was wrong'," recalled Jess. She too is passionate about eliminating the shame of this crime from the victims to the offenders. "There is no offence to consensually send an image to someone," said Jess. "But it is a crime to distribute that non-consensually and I think that should invariably be where the blame is," she affirmed.