JYA sexual audio recording is a sound-only capture of a private sexual moment, without any images or video. This can include recordings of intimate conversations or sounds made during a sexual act.
These recordings may have been taken initially with your consent, without your knowledge, or even created or altered using AI to falsely make it sound like you.
If someone has recorded, shared, or threatened to share a sexual audio recording without your consent, you are not alone. In this article, you can find information about this and what steps you can take.
Why do sexual audio recordings not fall under intimate image abuse laws in the UK?
In the UK, intimate image abuse laws only cover images or videos that show a person nude, partially nude, or engaging in a sexual act. Because audio recordings do not visually show a person (no images or videos), these laws do not apply. You can learn more about intimate image abuse laws in the UK here.
We understand this can be frustrating to hear, but please know that what happened may still be against the law, and support is available.
So, what can I do?
While we are not legal experts, we hope that the sharing, threatening to share and recording of sexual audio recordings without consent would fall under a different law such as harassment.
Because of this, we would encourage you to make a report to the police by calling the non-emergency number 101 or by making a report online here. Try to collect as much evidence as possible which may include a timeline of events, details of the perpetrator, screenshots of where the recording has been shared online and any relevant communication.
Before reporting what has happened to the police, you may find it helpful to get some free legal advice regarding your rights and what options are available. You can find list of organisations that provide free legal advice here.
The Rights of Women also have a guide on their webpage for harassment and the law in England and Wales here.
You also may find it helpful to get in touch with The National Stalking Helpline. They can provide support on how to report both online and offline harassment. You can read more on their website here or call them on 0808 802 0300 which is open Monday – Friday, 9.30am – 4pm.
Alongside accessing support services, you can also make reports on social media and adult sites.
A sexual audio recording of me has been posted online without my consent, how can I report this?
Social Media:
If a sexual audio recording of yourself has been posted on social media, we would encourage you to make a report to the platform directly. You can find information about reporting to social media platforms on our website here.
If your report to the platform has been unsuccessful, we may be able to provide further support via our sister service, Report Harmful Content, which can escalate a wider range of harms to specific platforms. You can get in touch with Report Harmful Content here.
Adult Site:
If a sexual audio recording of yourself has been shared onto an adult site, you can contact them directly.
Most sites will have a route to report content for removal. Look for a heading at the top called “Support” or in the footer of the website called “Content Removal”, “Abuse,” or “Contact Us.” They should give an email address or have a contact form.
Example message you can use:
“To the removals team,
A sexual audio recording of myself has been shared on your site without my consent. I am requesting the recording, any associated descriptions, and any preview clips to be removed. I would appreciate prompt removal of the content and notification when this has been done.
Thank you.”
You can find our advice and safety tips for reporting to adult sites on our website here.
Finally, further information and advice regarding emotional support can be found. Please visit our dedicated emotional support page for more details. If you have been impacted by this issue, our team is here to help.
