Myex.com Removal And Legal Options [Site Shut Down]
**About myex.com
Myex.com was an “adult entertainment website”(according to their own description) that relied on user-generated content that included nude and sexually explicit photos.
**the myex.com site is not suitable for work and is intended for mature audiences. It may contain content that you find objectionable. We do not endorse or encourage visiting this site.
Why the site was shut down.
After a number of complaints were filed to the FTC and the state of Nevada the site was shut down. Although they were under fire for the awful nature of the site for a long time, their advertising tactics and business model were what helped get the site removed.
Even though the site is down, this doesn’t mean that the pictures posted there might live on another site. This is why we are keeping this post up as a resource to help if you find similar pictures on other sites like Myex.com. As time goes on we will add more resources and posts to directly go over the tactics for each, but a lot of the same tactics will still apply.
[Original post below]
While the terms of service would have you think otherwise, myex.com is, in fact, a hub for revenge porn. The site relies on people uploading explicit photos of their former lovers along with identifying information and links to the social media accounts of the person or people in the photos.
In case you’re unfamiliar with this concept, this is a subset of pornography that features sexually explicit portrayals of one or more people that is distributed on any platform. These photos and videos were typically intended solely for the parties involved and are posted without the consent of the person (or people) featured.
Revenge porn is a tool most commonly used to harass, humiliate, shame, hurt and/or blackmail the victim. You can see why so many people want help on the myex.com removal process, and wish they could just remove myex.com entirely.
Protection policies in place and the myex.com legal terms of service
According to the website’s terms of agreement, myex.com does not permit users to post any content featuring an underage subject or child pornography.
Additionally, the site maintains a section for removal requests for:
- Law Enforcement
- Minor (Underage) Removal Requests
- DMCA Complaints
- General Removal
According to the site, responses to removal requests are prioritized by the order listed above.
While all of this seems reasonable in theory, the complaints stem from how the site operates in practice. And if you read the entire terms of agreement you’ll notice that while the owners of the site openly condemn certain behaviors, they also absolve themselves of any responsibility when it comes to taking action against it, or being held accountable.
Section 3 of the terms of agreement is very explicit about a zero tolerance child-pornography policy. The owners of the site also claim that they will, “fully cooperate with any law-enforcement agency investigating child pornography”. And they also encourage users to report any “unlawful activities involving minors” on third party websites to www.asacp.org.
However, when it comes to the rules for adults featured in this user-generated content, the website owners are much less proactive in ensuring that users follow the terms of agreement.
According to Section 7 User Generated Content:
Users are allowed to “submit pictures, videos, and other amateur pornographic content to the Website…any content submitted to this Website [is] nonconfidential and nonproprietary.” Section 7.1 then continues saying the site can use the content as they see fit for free, are not liable for the content, and do not guarantee confidentiality.
It’s the following points of the terms of service that stick out as contradictory.
In sections 7.4 and 7.5, the agreement claims that by uploading content, users agree that they have signed written consent or release from each person featured, are not publishing anything that would misrepresent or harm another person, aren’t invading anyone’s privacy, etc, etc.
There’s even a section that states explicitly that users cannot upload anything that amounts to revenge porn.
Basically, these terms of agreement suggest that the person or people featured in the content are totally cool with this being shared with the world. Section 7 also states that users are posting at their own risk and will deal with any consequences resulting from this upload.
However, this section also reinforces the fact that the website owners, “are not responsible for, do not endorse, and are not liable for any content submitted to the Website”. This means that you are unlikely to get much help and your myex.com removal strategy needs a different tactic.
Throughout the terms of agreement, myex.com repeatedly states that they are not liable for the content, or any harm that could result from the content on their website or the website and its servers. Section 19 Limit on Liability; Release details the many ways in which the site cannot be held accountable for different kinds of damages.
In Section 2, the agreement states that, “by logging on, you will have released and discharged the providers, owners, and creators of this Website from all liability that might arise.” Later on in Section 6 User Conduct, the website also states that by accessing and continuing to access the site, you won’t, “use the Website in any way that exposes us to civil or criminal liability”.
And once again in Section 9, the owners of the site claim that while they will fully cooperate with law enforcement and court orders, they cannot and do not review material on the site before it’s posted. And again, can’t be held responsible for anything.
Complaints against myex.com
The arguments lodged against myex.com are numerous. One of the most common being that this website is distributing destructive material that the subjects did not agree to publishing.
Additionally, the site has been known to make money from fees associated with removal requests in the past.
Another common complaint is that the owners of the site take no responsibility in vetting the validity of the claims submitted by the users.
Along those same lines, users submitting photos to the site don’t undergo any identification verification.
This means that users can anonymously submit photos, information and statements that may or may not be true, and face zero consequences.
Furthermore, while the site claims to take a hard stance against child pornography, myex.com also acknowledges that they do not keep records of people who post. That is to say, they don’t record email addresses, IP addresses, or other identifying information. So even if a user violates this singular restriction, myex.com has no way to fully investigate or punish this act.
Consequences of posts on myex.com
- Job loss
- Decrease in earning potential
- Deleterious psychological effects
- Strain on personal relationships
- Barrier to professional developments
- Barrier to any process that involves a screening
For the person featured in the explicit content on sites like myex.com, the consequences of this form of defamation can be far reaching and long-lasting. There’s a good chance that these kinds of damaging search results can take a serious toll on one’s career and livelihood.
Even if an employer or client is sympathetic to the situation, the fact remains that the victim of revenge porn is being humiliated professionally for something incredibly personal. This is why myex.com removal strategies are so sought after by victims of the site.
Outside of the professional implications for victims of revenge porn, there are serious psychological consequences to this form of cyber-harassment. While the long-term psychological effects are still being studied, a number of high profile incidents from the past decade show that the distress caused by this kind of content can be fatal.
A recent survey from the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative discovered that 61% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 30 had taken nude photos or videos of themselves and shared them with someone. 23% of those surveyed were victims of revenge porn.
Of those victimized by revenge porn:
- 93% reported significant emotional distress
- 82% reported suffering significant social, occupational, and other types of functional impairment
- Over 50% indicated they considered committing suicide
Myex.com removal options
1. Pay the fee
Legal action has put an end to explicit fee-based removal services from sites like myex.com. However, there is still a chance that you will be referred to a “third-party” when you request content removal from a revenge porn site. We suggest that you proceed with caution. Here’s why:
- Not necessarily effective – While the website claims that all you have to do is pay a small fee to get rid of this image, the truth is that the damage has already been done. Even if you pay a fee, that photo has been exposed to the world online. Visitors to the site could have taken screenshots and posted or shared that image elsewhere. Other websites could have captured and re-posted or shared that image as well. Additionally, if the image is cached for some users they can still access it. While this may be a reasonable short-term solution to your problem, the truth is that the image could just pop up on this site or another one in the future.
- The cost is prohibitive and unsustainable – Unless you have a bottomless supply of cash just hanging around, the cost can be prohibitive. If there is more than one photo, or if your harassor keeps posting the picture of you, the financial burden of myex.com removal quickly becomes unsustainable. That’s why we suggest that you use a combination of other techniques for a long-term solution.
- May identify you as an easy target – Once you open up your purse strings, it’s possible that you’re marked as an easy target that’s willing to pay up. You don’t want this company or others like it to take advantage of you based on the fact that you were willing to pay for removal once.
- No guarantee – Again, just because you pay this fee, that doesn’t mean that this image won’t come back to haunt you on another site.
2. File removal Request with Google and other search engines
Search engines like Google have added provisions to their policy that allow users to request that they remove or de-index revenge porn. The user-generated content on myex.com is the textbook example of revenge porn, so we highly recommend starting the process by filling out removal requests.
There are many search engines out there with slightly varying policies when it comes to the topic of myex.com removal. The best way to go is start with all of the big search engines, Google, Bing, Yahoo and work your way down.
To learn more about Google’s removal request policy and process, make sure you visit their support forum here.
3. Take legal action
In addition to filing requests from Google and other search engines, you may also be able to take legal action against the perpetrator. Chances are you have a case here.
Currently, 38 states and D.C. have legislation in place to protect the victims of revenge porn, but the actual penalties vary, and most cases result in misdemeanors and a small fine. To learn more about each state, visit this article from criminal.findlaw.com here.
Myex.com removal is something that you can definitely accomplish with legal action if you live in one of the states listed in the link above. If you have a serious issue then it’s definitely worth asking some questions.
4. Suppression
While the process of suppression does not remove the myex.com content from search results or the website, this approach might be one of the more reliable and future-proof methods available to you. It involves building a strong personal brand with a narrative that you control. This is part of a larger strategy called online reputation management.
Not only does a strong personal brand present a positive counterpoint to a myex.com search result, but it can also keep people from seeing that negative search result.
The goal with suppression is to build and optimize profiles and websites that you control and try to get them to rank higher in search results. The farther down in search results you go, the less likely people are to click on it.
How to use BrandYourself’s 3 pillars for myex.com removal:
When it comes to dealing with an unpleasant search result, like an explicit photo from myex.com, you should focus your attention on things that you can control. This includes building up a personal brand online that you control. To learn more, visit “How to Take Control of Your Online Reputation”. By following BrandYourself’s 3 pillars, you have the best chance at developing a personal brand that not only showcases everything that you have to offer, but has the potential to make harmful search results from myex.com less visible.
- Pillar 1: Building a basic brand
- Pillar 2: Building credibility & an audience
- Pillar 3: Targeting Opportunities
Pillar 1: Build your brand
Build an online presence that reinforces your qualifications, talent, skill, experience and successes. This is also the first step to making sure it isn’t the end of the world if you have to remove a myex.com post, since very few people will see it. When someone looks you up online, they need to see a strong presence with fresh content in your area of expertise that is relevant to who you are and what you can do. Search results from sites like myex.com completely undermine this. That’s why you need to approach your personal brand systematically, and maintain it regularly.
First you will need to:
- Audit your search results
- Clean up any content that doesn’t fit your desired image
- Define yourself and your personal brand
- Build an online presence that reflects your brand and expertise
- Follow a personal branding strategy and stick to timelines
To learn more about auditing and building your personal brand online so you can protect yourself from myex.com and similar sites, visit our guides on BrandYourself University. This handy resource takes you through the fundamental steps of building a strong personal brand online.
Pillar 2: Build credibility
After you’ve diagnosed, cleaned up and built out your personal brand, it’s time to get others involved. A great way to do this is by gaining placements in relevant third party publications and to get your content syndicated to emphasize your credibility. A well defined, solid brand will help protect you from sites like myex.com so you don’t need to play catch up.
As you continue to create and publish content on profiles that you control, you can also get content published elsewhere to show others (and search engines) that you are relevant and knowledgeable. Focus on getting placement on well-respected, and high quality platforms.
- Write strategic content in the right places
- Build your brand through third party placement
- Stay organized as you attempt placement
- Use data to your advantage when it comes to the type of content and outlets for publication
Create your own brand through strategically building an audience
When attempting to build credibility, you need help from others:
- Determine the gatekeepers of your opportunities
- Start with who you know
- Connect with gatekeepers and influencers via social media & strategic publications
Pillar 3: Nurture your audience for opportunities
This is a great way to make high-leverage moves that will allow you to protect yourself from sites like myex.com and build up a bulletproof brand.
Building a brand that reflects who you are while cultivating connections with others is a huge part of maintaining a successful brand online. But the third most important pillar of brand development, is mining your audience for opportunities. Below we’ve listed great ways to take advantage of your audience as a resource for development:
- Build your own brand and find the right audience with advanced SEO
- Focus on outreach
- Network
- Regularly engage
- Nurture existing audience
- Expand your audience
- Look for link building opportunities from reputable sites
- Use advanced keyword strategy
Other Sites Like Myex.com
Here is a running list that we will be updating periodically when we find similar sites like Myex that you should be aware of.
Additional Guide For Dealing With Myex.com Removal
While suppressing myex.com and similar sites with positive content is a great option, there are a few alternatives for specific cases that can be used in conjunction with suppression. As mentioned earlier, read, “The Advanced Guide to Fixing Negative Search Results” to learn more about your options when it comes to dealing with damaging search results. It speaks to all forms of negative search results, but all of it can be applied to myex.com specifically.
Other Great Resources
When it comes to dealing with explicit search results from sites like myex.com, the initial reaction is often fear, disgust, hurt, panic and shame. While revenge porn and cyber-harassment are unfortunate by-products of our connected world, you aren’t powerless if this happens to you. In addition to the steps listed above, make sure you check out the resources below for more information about fighting this sort of attack.
- Undox.me has a guide for major social media sites and removing copyrighted images.
- Steps to register a copyright on your images.
You don’t have control over whether or not an ex chooses to victimize you by posting revenge porn on myex.com. However, you do have tools at your disposal to deal with the fallout of their spiteful actions. Revenge porn doesn’t have to ruin your professional life or your reputation.
So follow the steps listed above, and read through the resources we’ve provided. Don’t have time? Let us do the work for you. Reach out to a Reputation Advisor by calling (646)-863-8226 or schedule a consultation to discuss the best option for you from our managed services packages. Our suggestions are tailored to your specific situation and the discussion is confidential.