In reality, she is a reputable real estate agent based in Dubai. The images had apparently been taken from her social media accounts.
Why this is especially serious for public-facing individuals
For influencers, entrepreneurs, models, artists, and other people in the public eye, this type of attack can be particularly damaging. Those who operate publicly often depend on trust, visibility, and personal reputation. If their image is suddenly placed on a disreputable platform in a sexualized or defamatory context, the damage can be immediate and substantial.
These cases also tend to come as a complete shock to the affected person. The consequences often go beyond embarrassment. They may include reputational harm, professional fallout, inquiries from clients or business partners, strain on family relationships, and long-term discoverability through search engines.
A familiar pattern: revenge, envy, or deliberate harm
In practice, we often see the same pattern. Photos are copied from Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or other social media profiles and republished on third-party websites in a completely different context. The motive is often easy to guess: personal resentment, revenge after a private dispute, jealousy in a professional setting, or a deliberate attempt by competitors or other third parties to cause harm.
Influencers and other visible public figures are particularly vulnerable. Their images are easy to access, their identity is known, and the impact of a false and humiliating portrayal can be especially severe.
In many cases, the legal position is clear
Publications of this kind are usually unlawful for several separate reasons.
1. Violation of personality rights
Falsely attributing a fictional identity, occupation, or sexual services to a real person constitutes a serious interference with that person’s personality rights. This is all the more true where the publication also contains false information about name, location, phone number, or professional background and creates a defamatory overall impression.
2. Violation of image rights
As a general rule, photographs of a person may not be used without consent in a completely different context, especially one that is degrading, sexualized, or otherwise damaging. The mere use of a person’s image on such a platform may already amount to a serious legal violation.
3. Copyright infringement
One aspect that is often overlooked is that these cases do not only involve personality rights. They frequently also involve copyright infringement. If photographs are taken from social media profiles, copied, uploaded, displayed, indexed, or otherwise made available through a website or platform without authorization, that typically constitutes an infringement of the relevant copyright or usage rights.
Depending on the case, the infringed rights may belong to the photographer, another rights holder, or – if rights have been validly assigned – the affected person herself. This aspect is particularly important when dealing with platforms, website operators, and hosting providers, because copyright-based notice-and-takedown mechanisms can often be an effective way to obtain swift removal.
Why speed matters
The longer the unlawful content remains online, the greater the damage. Content of this kind is often mirrored, reposted, indexed, or picked up by search engines. Waiting too long can allow the false portrayal to spread beyond the original page.
For that reason, it is often advisable not only to contact the website operator, but also to proceed against other entities involved in making the content available, including:
- the platform operator,
- the hosting provider,
- where applicable, CDN or infrastructure providers,
- and companies providing privacy or anonymization services for the domain.
Where websites are operated anonymously, this multi-layered approach is often the most effective one.
What we typically do in these cases
In matters of this kind, we promptly assess the facts and the legal position, preserve evidence, identify the relevant technical and legal contact points, and prepare targeted notice-and-takedown letters.
Depending on the circumstances, such letters may rely on:
- violations of personality rights,
- violations of image rights,
- copyright infringement,
- data protection issues,
- and, in particularly serious cases, defamation-related claims.
The primary objective is usually the swift removal of the content. By contrast, damages claims are often only realistically enforceable if the person actually responsible for creating or publishing the content can be identified.
Conclusion
If an influencer, entrepreneur, creator, or other public-facing individual suddenly appears on a dubious website with stolen images and fabricated content, the matter should not be dismissed as a mere annoyance. In most cases, such publications are unlawful and may have serious personal and economic consequences.
What matters is a fast, structured, and legally precise response. The earlier the website operator, hosting provider, and other involved parties are confronted with a well-founded legal notice, the better the chances of achieving a prompt removal and limiting further harm.
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