🔗 Share this article Transitioning from Dominatrix to Technology Entrepreneur: An Unconventional Campaign To Combat Intimate Image Abuse Madelaine Thomas explains her first-hand ordeal of having her intimate images shared without consent gives her a unique insight as a tech founder. Professional dominatrix Madelaine Thomas is not at all your average startup entrepreneur. After multiple instances of clients distributing her intimate photographs, she was "sufficiently outraged to take action" and looked to technology for a solution. "Those were beautiful pictures, I'm unapologetic of the photographs, I'm ashamed of the way that they were used against me by someone who I have never met," said Madelaine. Madelaine has won several awards including the Innovation in Tech Safety award at a prominent industry conference. Just over a year after founding her venture, Image Angel, which employs invisible forensic watermarking to identify abusers, 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 previous career in offering BDSM services, working with clients in the world of BDSM. The Pervasive Problem The non-consensual sharing of private images, often referred to as image-based abuse, is a punishable crime with perpetrators facing up to two years in prison. It is not at all an issue uniquely experienced by those in the sex industry. A report suggests that around 1.42% of the UK female population is impacted by intimate image abuse each year. Madelaine, 37, explained victims endured feelings of humiliation. "I think a lot of people will comment, 'you shared a saucy picture out on the internet, what do you expect?'," she said. "I demand dignity, I expect consideration, and I expect trust, and I fail to understand why those are negotiable," she added. "The fact that those images could be subsequently distributed where I live or with people I love and used to hurt them, that's beyond, that's not a decision I made, that's not my mistake, that's someone committing abuse." Madelaine aims her tech will prevent potential individuals from sharing photos without consent. A Unique Journey Madelaine has been working as a professional dominatrix, primarily online, for 10 years and always found her work liberating and satisfying. "It's me as a dominant woman, a woman who is empowered and strong, offering my body as a treat to someone because I wish to," she described. "Some believe it's unusual but I don't see it any differently to a personal trainer or an accountant giving advice," she remarked. She welcomes being something of an anomaly in the technology sector. "I know that it's bizarre, it's crazy to think that an individual who was a dominatrix is now a creator of a tech company, but it required someone who has been through it to understand the loopholes and the modifications that were necessary," she explained. She insisted she was not in the least bit techy and was able to build her company after many late nights, research and "consulting experts" who know about tech. Understanding the Tech Solution Image Angel can be used by any online platform where people exchange photos, for instance dating apps, social media and online sites. When an image is viewed by a user, it is automatically embedded with an invisible forensic watermark which is specific to that viewer. This covert marker is encoded within the copy of the image itself and can withstand screenshots, being altered and being photographed with a different camera. It means that if you discover your image has been circulated non-consensually, providing the service you used has the technology embedded, the sharer's information will be encoded in the image and can be retrieved by a forensic expert so legal steps can follow. Currently, one service has implemented her tech and she's in discussions with many others. Proven Technology, New Application "The system already exists in the film industry, it is employed in sports broadcasting so this is not brand new technology, it's just a novel use and a different framework," said Madelaine. "We have validated it, we're partnering 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 test it at scale," she added. She said she hoped the technology would also act as a preventive measure to would-be intimate image abusers. Removing Stigma, Shifting Blame An expert from a leading helpline commented she had seen first-hand the trauma and guilt intimate image abuse caused for victims. "If that self-blame is compounded by a misinformed friend or service who says 'well, why did you take those images in the first place?' that self blame can really be reinforced so it's crucial that the response somebody is provided with is that they have committed no error," she emphasized. She noted it was inspiring that Madelaine was leveraging her ordeal to create solutions, adding: "It is really important to have this multi-layered approach towards tackling technology-enabled abuse, because no one tool is going to be able to solve this problem, not just support services, it needs to be this multi-layered response." Both women have been victims of having their private photos distributed non-consensually. TV presenter Jess Davies was just 15 when images of her in her underwear were shared around her town. It was the first of several incidents Jess endured in her teens and 20s that would later shape her advocacy work. "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 passionate about removing the stigma of intimate image abuse from the victims to the perpetrators. "It isn't a crime to willingly share an image 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 affirmed.