In December of 2012, Kevin Bollaert, an intrepid 26-year-old San Diego entrepreneur, came up with a foolproof business plan: a website where men could vindictively post nude photographs and personal contact information of bitches they hate, and then if the bitches want it all taken down they have to pay $350! WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG.
Well, one major thing comes to mind—which is that the U.S. government already has a name for that particular business plan. It’s called “extortion.” Bollaert was arrested and charged with 31 felony counts of conspiracy, extortion, and identity theft. (But not before he reportedly made tens of thousands of dollars humiliating women—and, I’m sure, a couple of men—at ugotposted.com.)
Well, more specifically, he’s sorry-not-sorry, because he didn’t actually do anything wrong but he “understands why people are upset” and he totally hates revenge porn now and oh man, aren’t websites like that gross? Ugh, who would even MAKE a website like that!? Not Kevin Bollaert, who just wants to “do good”! NOTHING TO SEE HERE, JUDGE. (Judges read CNN.com, right!?)
“I just don’t want to be involved in that kind of website anymore,” Kevin Bollaert told KFMB. “I want to do good things with my life.”
…”This website published intimate photos of unsuspecting victims and turned their public humiliation and betrayal into a commodity with the potential to devastate lives,” Attorney General Kamala D. Harris said.
…Bollaert denied doing anything illegal.
“I don’t feel like I’ve committed any crime,” he said, adding that he knows why there’s an uproar.
“I understand that a lot of people would be upset by what would happen and be hurt,” Bollaert said.
In case you need a refresher on how revenge porn “upsets” its victims, here you go:
“I have gone to the police, I’ve had a restraining order put in place because of this site, (and) my phone has been going off EVERY 2 MINUTES with strange men sending inappropriate things to me,” one woman, who said she was a minor when the photographs were posted, wrote to the website, according to the court documents cited by KFMB.
“It’s disgusting. Also, I’ve had to … have a sexual harassment charge put in place in court because of this. I don’t know what gets you off about ruining people’s lives, but I was underage in the photos posted of me so, yes, you are showing child pornography,” she wrote.
It’s cute how dudes refuse to take responsibility for misogyny even when they’re literally arrested for it. He’s not sorry he did it. He’s sorry he got in trouble.
