Professional dominatrix Madelaine Thomas is not at all your average tech founder. Following multiple occurrences of clients distributing her intimate photographs, she was "angry enough to take action" and turned to tech solutions for a solution.
"Those were striking images, I'm not ashamed of the pictures, I'm embarrassed of the manner that they were weaponized by an individual who I have never met," stated Madelaine.
Just over a year since launching her venture, Image Angel, which employs invisible forensic watermarking to track perpetrators, has garnered significant recognition and was cited as exemplary procedure in an government-commissioned study earlier this year.
This represents quite a departure from her background in providing consensual sexual encounters, working with clients in the world of kink and bondage.
Intimate image abuse, often referred to as image-based abuse, is a criminal offence with perpetrators risking two years in prison.
It is far from an issue exclusively faced by those in the adult entertainment sector. A report suggests that approximately 1.42% of the women in the UK is impacted by this form of abuse on an annual basis.
Madelaine, thirty-seven, explained victims endured shame and stigma. "In my view a lot of people will comment, 'you put a saucy picture out on the internet, what do you expect?'," she said.
"I demand respect, I expect consideration, and I expect confidence, and I fail to understand why those are up for debate," she added. "The fact that those images could be subsequently distributed in my community or with my loved ones and used to hurt them, that's unacceptable, that's not my choice, that's not my mistake, that's someone committing abuse."
Madelaine has been practicing as a dominatrix, mainly online, for 10 years and consistently found her work empowering and fulfilling. "I am as a dominant woman, a woman who is empowered and strong, offering my body as a treat to someone of my own volition," she said.
"Some believe it's unusual but I don't see it any differently to a nutritionist or an accountant giving advice," she added.
She welcomes being a unique figure in the technology sector. "I know that it's bizarre, it's remarkable to think that an individual who was a dominatrix is now a founder of a technology firm, but it required someone who has been through it to know the flaws and the modifications that needed to happen," she stated.
She maintained she was not technically inclined and was able to build her company after a lot of sleepless nights, investigation and "consulting experts" who understand tech.
Image Angel can be implemented on any digital service where people exchange photos, for instance social connection apps, social media and online sites.
When an image is viewed by a user, it is automatically embedded with an undetectable digital marker which is specific to that viewer.
This covert marker is encoded within the digital file of the image itself and can survive screenshots, being edited and being photographed with a different camera.
It ensures that if you find out your image has been shared non-consensually, as long as the platform you used has the system integrated, the viewer's details will be hidden within the image and can be extracted by a forensic expert so action can be taken.
To date, one platform has implemented her tech and she's in talks with many others.
"The system is already in use in Hollywood, it already exists in live television so this is not an untested concept, it's just a new application and a different framework," explained Madelaine.
"We have validated it, we're partnering with a firm that has decades of expertise in tech development so we are confident that this is reliable and what we now need to do is deploy it widely," she added.
She said she hoped the technology would also act as a deterrent to would-be perpetrators.
An expert from a leading helpline said she had seen directly the trauma and guilt this abuse inflicted on victims.
"When that guilt is reinforced by a misinformed friend or professional who says 'what did you expect?' that guilt can really be deepened so it's really important that the response somebody is provided with is that they have not done anything wrong," she stated.
She added it was inspiring that Madelaine was using her experience to create solutions, saying: "It is really important to have this comprehensive strategy towards tackling technology-enabled abuse, because no one tool is going to be able to solve this problem, no one helpline, it needs to be this integrated effort."
TV presenter Jess Davies was just 15 when images of her in a state of undress were shared around her local community. It was the first of several incidents Jess experienced in her teens and 20s that would later inform her women's rights campaigning.
"It required years, an excessive amount of time for someone to tell me, 'it wasn't your fault' and 'that shouldn't have happened'," said Jess.
She too is dedicated to eliminating the shame of this crime from the survivors to the perpetrators. "There is no offence to consensually send an photo to someone," said Jess.
"But it is a crime to circulate that non-consensually and I think that should always be where the blame is," she affirmed.
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