The Mind of a Pornographer

Pornographic clips have probably been around since video was first invented, but it’s only in recent years that cellphones and the Internet have made it so easy to watch and spread them. These days, there are news reports almost every day about pornographic clips being shot, distributed via MMS and even sold openly. Many of these videos are shot without the knowledge of the subjects, but quite a few are also voluntary performances that were never intended to leak out to the general public. There have even been instances of rapes being filmed by the perpetrators.

Video-enabled cellphones, being quite inexpensive and easy to conceal, are now at the center of the storm around pornographic clips. It has become so easy to shoot and share video via MMS or email that you can now never be sure where a private recording will spread to. Even underage children are “sexting” each other for amusement, without realizing that lost phones are often found by opportunistic strangers and even trusted friends can play nasty pranks by making these clips public.

While technology is certainly helping to enable the murkier side of video sharing (just like it’s helping to enable everything else), the deeper truth is that nothing in recent years has really changed about the motives of the people who actually record and spread videos with malicious or lascivious intent.

As renowned clinical psychologist Varkha Chulani told us, those who take video clips clandestinely usually do so to gain power over the victim and emotionally blackmail them, or because they fear rejection during regular socialization, or simply for the thrill of doing something illicit and arousing (and possibly getting caught in the act). “We first need to get to the bottom of the attitudinal reasons for peoples’ actions and help them reconstruct their faulty philosophies or ideas which lead them to do such things in the first place. We believe that every action has a predecessor in thought, for instance, what was this man or woman thinking?”

Why do people do it?
One of the major reasons that people commit sex crimes is that they have severe feelings of inadequacy—rather than a sexual perversion. Their feelings of self-loathing and their inability to make regular channels of socialization and communication work could compel them to believe that doing something drastic is the only way to be recognized.__STARTQUOTE__In many cases these videos have been used to exercise continuing power over a victim through blackmail.__ENDQUOTE__Mentally, they feel so useless that their only escape comes when they’re able to conquer and succeeding in sexual conquest is what makes them feel worthy. By extension, shooting videos of unsuspecting victims in changing rooms, for example, is an easier way of gaining such conquest without actually requiring physical contact with the victim. On the other hand, someone taping themselves committing rape would likely be to satisfy a constant need for attention.

In many cases these videos have been used to exercise continuing power over a victim through blackmail and exploiting their natural fear of earning a bad reputation should the videos leak out in public. Some victims have given in because they were scared of being rejected by their boyfriends. Of course, there are also those who simply take these videos for profit—people pay good money for videos that satisfy their various fetishes, and there is always demand for fresh material.
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It’s also possible that videos are taken to settle scores with the victims, most typically because of spurned romantic advances.

In all these cases, the existence of technology is simply a means to an end, not the reason for committing the crimes in the first place. The motive for recording a porn clip is unlikely to be just that it’s possible. Such videos aren’t just restricted to MMS messages on mobile phones. They were circulated on VHS long before even DVDs and CDs made it easy, and were screened in private viewing halls or distributed as printed stills even before that.

Nevertheless, mobile phones and even high-tech spy cams are making it easier to capture people unaware in even the most innocent seeming situations, which means that everyone needs to be aware of the dangers of hidden recording devices.

Detecting a spy cam
There might not be any 100-percent foolproof way to know whether you are being recorded by a hidden spy camera, but there are a few precautions you can take even if you are with someone you trust.

Miniature spycams can be concealed very smartly. The only thing visible is a tiny pin-hole, which again, is very hard to notice.

• Run your eye over the typical hiding places such as the frames of paintings and mirrors, flower pots, air conditioning vents, smoke detectors, light fixtures, stuffed toys, pens, buttons, etc.
• Don’t ignore unusual dots of light in unlikely places (such as speaker grills), since these could be the power LEDs of hidden cameras.
• Follow any wires that run from the furniture under a carpet or behind a curtain.
• A slight whirring noise could be caused by the pan-and-zoom functions of a motion-sensing camera.
• If you see a dot on any object that you suspect is a camera, turn on your mobile phone’s camera and point it at the dot. If you see a bright flare on the screen, you’re looking at an IR spy cam.
• Some spy cams could be hidden in plain sight! A webcam next to a PC or embedded in a laptop’s lid could be recording you even if it appears to be switched off. To be extra safe, turn it away, cover it, or pull the plug.

Official involvement
The Department of Telecom has recently laid down norms on the usage of mobile phones in public places. On their official website, www.dot.gov.in , there’s a downloadable PDF file which lists several pointers regarding mobile phone etiquette. Point 5 clearly states “Mobile phones should not be used to capture photographs of individuals without their knowledge and consent. They should not be used to take photographs in public places deemed private like swimming pools, gyms etc. The privacy of persons around the user of the camera phone should be respected." However these are just points, not laws that can be enforced in a court leading to punishment for offenders.__STARTQUOTE__Healthy and sensible loving will never lead to misuse of technology.__ENDQUOTE__Laws already exist to protect victims or harassment and rape, which can be strengthened by our cyber crime laws which prohibit the electronic transmission of illegal material. These laws exist to protect all of us, and can be used whether or not technology is involved in the crime. So the DoT’s guidelines can be interpreted more as a self-enforceable code of moral conduct, but it’s up to us to use technology responsibly.

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Based out of Mumbai, Ms Chulani is also a psychotherapist and practices independently as well as in hospitals such as Lilavati. She is an Associate Fellow & Supervisor of the Albert Ellis Institute, New York, and is only the second recognized and accredited practitioner in Asia.

Varkha Chulani, Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist

Some people might blame technology to some extent for the spread of porn clips, would you too?
I don’t blame technology itself because it has been brought in to simplify our lives. It is we who have tried to complicate it by misusing what otherwise could be advantageous to us.

Is it mainly teenagers and young adults who record and spread these clips?
Yes, in teens you will see a need for excitement and impulsiveness to be very high. Often, you’ll see people racing like crazy on a highway. So, it’s just a thrill to get away from a mundane and routine life which is so boring and unexciting.

Does spreading porn clips mean a person has some kind of disease?
It could be a combination of a genetic disorder plus very faulty ways of living, but usually you would see that it’s a genetic predisposition to this kind of illness. Sometimes we don’t go so far and say that they suffer from bipolar disorder, but there is definitely a personality disorder.__STARTQUOTE__It’s not about schools and colleges. It is the parents that need to be sensible enough not to buy these things for their children.__ENDQUOTE__Do people try to ape cases that involve celebrities?
Yes, and this is mainly because aping a favorite celebrity and then becoming known, gives the doer a sense of satisfaction about being one with the celebrity. He feels that he’s at par with and is as famous as his favorite actor or actress.

Do you think that gadgets, especially camera phones, should be banned in schools and colleges?
Yes, good schools have already disallowed the usage of mobile phones on campus. If discipline is unfortunately not enforced at home, we have to enforce it in institutions. It’s not about schools and colleges. It is us, the parents that need to be sensible enough not to buy these things for our children.

What goes into curing such patients? Can you tell us about anyone who has come to you for help?
Patients have to undergo a reconstruction of attitude through the combination of psychotherapy and proper medication. People who flash obscenely in public places are scared that they will never be accepted by the opposite sex if he or she really approaches or initiates any interaction. As a therapist, I would never condemn the person for his or her acts. The very fact that he or she is coming to seek help shows his discontent about the way he’s conducting himself or herself.

In one case, a young 12th standard girl was brought in by her mother. This girl stood nude in front of her webcam and showed herself to her boyfriend based in London, and then started feeling extremely guilty about it. Now I wouldn’t want this girl to feel so ashamed that she decides to end her life. Instead, I want her to see the reasons for her actions and help her to re-question them. Was it because of her need for sexual gratification, or was it her fear of being rejected by the boy? In this case it was the latter. If she was mentally solid and did not mind being rejected, she would never have done it.