Cybercrime & Technology

LOS ANGELES - Today, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced the launch of a new, first-of-its-kind online resource hub with tools for victims, technology companies and law enforcement agencies to combat cyber exploitation, the criminal act of posting intimate photos or videos online without the consent of the individual.  Today’s announcement is a culmination of nine months of work by the Attorney General’s Cyber Exploitation Task Force, a collaboration between the Department of Justice, major technology companies, law enforcement, and victims’ advocates. 

In response, elected officials and leaders in the technology industry released the following statements of support:

Antigone Davis, Head of Global Safety Policy, Facebook:

"Sharing intimate images of someone without their consent can be both devastating and dangerous for the victim. Such activity is not allowed on Facebook and we are proud to support Attorney General Harris’ anti-cyber exploitation initiative to raise awareness of this abhorrent practice and promote tools to fight it.”

Jacqueline Beauchere, Chief Online Safety Officer, Microsoft:

"Non-consensual distribution of sexual content, commonly known as ‘revenge porn’, is a horrific violation of privacy that can damage nearly every aspect of a victim’s life. Microsoft commends Attorney General Harris' commitment to this issue and we are proud to support this effort to help ensure victims have easy access to the tools they need to regain control of their images and their privacy. We hope this new online hub, which includes reporting information for online services such as Microsoft’s new reporting site for Bing, OneDrive and Xbox Live, will prove to be a valuable resource for victims."

Danielle Keats Citron, Lois K. Macht Research Professor & Professor of Law, University of Maryland Carey School of Law:

“Attorney General Kamala Harris's Working Group has set a major milestone in the fight against cyber exploitation today.  In my research of hate crimes in cyberspace, I’ve interviewed more than 50 exploitation victims.  Victims had a hard time finding employment because their nude images and contact information appeared prominently in online searches. They were terrified that strangers would confront them in person. They moved; some changed their names; all were distraught. The fallout was devastating. AG Harris's work is groundbreaking, educating victims about their rights, providing training to law enforcement, securing essential legislation, and working with companies on best practices. The Working Group's efforts in California are a model for the rest of the country.” 

John Doherty, Vice President of State Policy & Politics and General Counsel, TechNet:

“TechNet applauds Attorney General Kamala Harris' efforts to crack down on cyber exploitation, which violates a victim on a deeply personal and private level.  We’re proud that the technology industry has come together in support of this important issue to provide victims an avenue of protection. Over the past 50 years, the Internet has revolutionized the way we communicate, engage in commerce, and collaborate with friends and colleagues around the world.  Overwhelmingly, these changes have been a force for good.  But, clearly there is a dark side, and we must remain vigilant in the effort to protect Internet users from this type of terrible and troubling cyber exploitation.” 

Bob Stresak, Executive Director, California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST):

“The Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training is honored to be a part of the Attorney General’s working group in a progressive effort to combat cyber exploitation.  As technology advances, criminal activity takes new forms.  This often presents challenges for law enforcement.  Law enforcement must advance in its ability to proactively address and effectively respond to those challenges.  To that end, the Commission on POST will continue in its commitment to provide the best training available to the law enforcement community.”

California Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Glendale):

“Cyber exploitation is a serious crime.  I was proud to partner with Attorney General Harris on legislation to eliminate jurisdictional loopholes and give additional tools to law enforcement to investigate and prosecute this type of crime. The Department of Justice’s resource hub will play an important role in the fight to end cyber exploitation in California.”

California Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres):

“Cyber exploitation greatly disrupts the lives of victims.  I am glad that California remains in the forefront of fighting this horrendous crime. We need victims to be more aware that there are resources to protect them.  This is a valuable tool to help in ending cyber exploitation.”

LOS ANGELES - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the launch of a new, first-of-its-kind online resource hub with helpful tools for victims, the technology industry and law enforcement agencies to combat cyber exploitation, the criminal act of posting intimate photos or videos online without the consent of the individual.  Today’s announcement is a culmination of nine months of work by the Attorney General’s Cyber Exploitation Task Force, a collaboration between the Department of Justice, major technology companies, law enforcement, and victims’ advocates.   

“Posting intimate images online without consent is a cowardly crime that humiliates and belittles victims,” said Attorney General Harris. “These new tools will assist law enforcement in combating cyber exploitation and support victims in seeking justice. I would like to thank our partners from our task force, whose work will have a global impact in combatting this heinous crime.”

Attorney General Harris’s effort is centered on a newly created online resource hub that will work to empower victims with information on how to have images posted without permission removed from popular websites and search engines, and provide clear guidance to local law enforcement about new and existing laws to investigate and prosecute cyber exploitation cases. The resource hub will include a Best Practice Guide for technology companies to help them develop policies that prevent the posting and sharing of cyber exploitation images. 

Designed to be a one-stop-shop for law enforcement, victims and technology companies, the site will include information graphics with steps individuals can take after being a victim of cyber exploitation, and the first-ever comprehensive collection of major technology platforms’ privacy policies and links to report improper use of intimate images and how to have them removed from social media sites and online search engines.

“Attorney General Kamala Harris's Working Group has set a major milestone in the fight against cyber exploitation today.  In my research of hate crimes in cyberspace, I’ve interviewed more than 50 exploitation victims.  Victims had a hard time finding employment because their nude images and contact information appeared prominently in online searches. They were terrified that strangers would confront them in person. They moved; some changed their names; all were distraught. The fallout was devastating,” said Danielle Keats Citron, Lois K. Macht Research Professor & Professor of Law at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. “AG Harris's work is groundbreaking, educating victims about their rights, providing training to law enforcement, securing essential legislation, and working with companies on best practices. The Working Group's efforts in California are a model for the rest of the country.”

“TechNet applauds Attorney General Kamala Harris' efforts to crack down on cyber exploitation, which violates a victim on a deeply personal and private level.  We’re proud that the technology industry has come together in support of this important issue to provide victims an avenue of protection,” said John Doherty, Vice President of State Policy & Politics and General Counsel at TechNet. “Over the past 50 years, the Internet has revolutionized the way we communicate, engage in commerce, and collaborate with friends and colleagues around the world.  Overwhelmingly, these changes have been a force for good.  But, clearly there is a dark side, and we must remain vigilant in the effort to protect Internet users from this type of terrible and troubling cyber exploitation.”

In tandem with the launch of the anti-cyber exploitation initiative, Attorney General Harris issued a Law Enforcement Bulletin, with instructions for all California law enforcement agencies on how to use and enforce new and existing laws related to cyber exploitation crimes. This past legislative session, Attorney General Harris sponsored two bills to enable more effective prosecution of cyber exploitation crimes: AB 1310 and SB 676. Both laws were signed by Governor Jerry Brown and become effective January 1, 2016. 

AB 1310, sponsored by Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Glendale), expands the jurisdictional options for prosecuting cyber exploitation cases and allows law enforcement to use a search warrant to investigate cyber exploitation cases. SB 676, sponsored by Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres), adds cyber exploitation to the list of computer crimes eligible for forfeiture and destruction of property as part of a judgment and provides law enforcement with a process for seizing and destroying cyber exploitation images.

The initiative will also include a digital campaign, lead by the Attorney General’s Cyber Exploitation Task Force, using the hashtag #EndCyberExploitation, to raise awareness of the crime and connect victims with resources.   

The Attorney General’s cyber exploitation website was launched in October to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Cyber Security Awareness Month. According to the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI), a partner in the working group, more than 90% of victims of cyber exploitation are women and girls. In CCRI’s survey of cyber exploitation victims, 51% reported having suicidal thoughts.

In January 2015, Attorney General Harris convened a task force of 50 major technology companies (including Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and Twitter), victims’ advocates, and legislative and law enforcement leaders to fight cyber exploitation. The Attorney General’s working group on cyber exploitation is focused on four key areas: (1) education and prevention, (2) law enforcement education and training , (3) technology leadership and (4) legislation. This initiative is the culmination of this group’s work over the last nine months. 

Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit in 2011 to identify and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes, and other crimes involving the use of technology. The California Department of Justice is leading the nation in prosecuting these crimes, having garnered the first successful prosecution of a cyber exploitation operator in the country.  Earlier this year, Kevin Bollaert was sentenced to eight years imprisonment followed by ten years of supervised release for his operation of a cyber exploitation website that allowed the anonymous, public posting of intimate photos accompanied by personal identifying information of individuals without their consent.

The new resource hub can be found at http://oag.ca.gov/cyberexploitation.   

LOS ANGELES - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today issued a statement in response to Governor Jerry Brown’s signature of Assembly Bill 1310 (Gatto, D-Glendale), one of two cyber exploitation bills sponsored by Attorney General Harris.

“This new law gives law enforcement important tools necessary to hold cyber exploitation perpetrators accountable and bring justice to victims,” said Attorney General Harris. “AB 1310 furthers the ability of law enforcement to gather evidence and prosecute these heinous cases. I thank Assemblymember Gatto for authoring this critical measure.”

AB 1310 amends current law by allowing search warrants to be issued for cyber exploitation crimes, giving law enforcement the ability to search electronic databases and retrieve the victims’ images.  AB 1310 also allows for the prosecution of cyber exploitation cases in the county where the victim resides or in the county where the images were posted.  Since posters and website operators commonly reside outside of the victim’s jurisdiction, this change in the law will relieve some of the burden placed on the victim during the prosecution of the case. 

“With this legislation, law enforcement will be able to more effectively investigate and prosecute cyber exploitation criminals across multiple jurisdictions,” said Assemblymember Gatto.  “I applaud the Attorney General for championing this measure and thank Governor Brown for signing it into law.”

This year, Attorney General Harris sponsored two bills to enhance the prosecution of cyber exploitation in the state.  Senate Bill 676 (Cannella, R-Ceres), signed by the governor last month, enables law enforcement to seek the forfeiture and destruction of cyber exploitation images. 

On October 14, the Attorney General’s Cyber Exploitation Working Group will announce its findings and unveil new resources for victims, law enforcement, and tech companies in the fight against cyber exploitation.  This new initiative represents the culmination of a 9 month-long collaboration on four key areas: developing industry best practices, education and prevention, law enforcement training and collaboration, as well as legislation and advocacy.  The working group includes major technology companies such as Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo!, Google, and Instagram.

Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit in 2011 to identify and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes, and other crimes involving the use of technology. The California Department of Justice is leading the nation in prosecuting these crimes, having garnered the first successful prosecution of a cyber exploitation operator in the country. In 2015, Kevin Bollaert was sentenced to eight years imprisonment followed by ten years of supervised release for his operation of a cyber exploitation website that allowed the anonymous, public posting of intimate photos accompanied by personal identifying information of individuals without their consent.

SAN FRANCISCO - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris is urging California T-Mobile customers and T-Mobile account applicants to immediately place fraud alerts on their credit records in the wake of the massive breach of T-Mobile customer data housed at Experian, one of the nation’s major credit reporting agencies. Placing a fraud alert on your credit records protects consumers from identity theft by requiring that businesses verify your identity before issuing credit.

Up to 15 million T-Mobile customers’ and account applicants’ Social Security numbers, names, addresses, dates of birth, and identification numbers (such as driver’s license, military ID or passport number) were exposed in the cyber attack on Experian. According to Experian, the breach compromised data that was used by T-Mobile in connection with credit checks of individuals who applied for T-Mobile services from September 1, 2013 through September 16, 2015.  In the wrong hands, it could be used for identity theft, particularly “new account fraud,” or opening up new accounts in the victim’s name.

Unlike credit monitoring, which notifies individuals when activity has occurred on their credit records, a fraud alert is a preventive measure. When a fraud alert is in place, a merchant or other credit issuer checking the credit history of someone applying for credit gets a notice that there is a fraud alert. This alerts the merchant to take extra steps to verify the identity of the applicant. A fraud alert lasts 90 days and can be renewed.

A longer-lasting protection is a security freeze, which prevents the opening of new credit accounts unless the consumer has taken steps to temporarily lift the freeze. A freeze costs $10 per credit bureau or $5 for Californians over 65; it is free to victims of identity theft.  For instructions on how to place a freeze on your account, please see “How to ‘Freeze’ Your Credit Files: Tips for Consumers” under “Helpful Links” below.   

You can place a fraud alert with all three major credit bureaus by calling just one of the toll-free fraud numbers below. You will reach an automated telephone system that allows you to flag your file with an alert at all three bureaus. You will also be sent instructions on how to get a free copy of your report from each of the credit bureaus.

Experian 1-888-397-3742

Equifax 1-800-525-6285

TransUnion 1-800-680-7289

Helpful Links:

T-Mobile Breach Notice: https://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-58079

For additional information on “Breach Help: Consumer Tips from the California Attorney General”, visit:  http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/privacy/cis-17-breach-help.pdf

For additional information on “How to ‘Freeze” Your Credit Files: Tips for Consumers”, visit: http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/idtheft/cis_10_credit_freeze_doj.pdf

LOS ANGELES - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced a settlement with Houzz Inc., an online platform for home remodeling and design, to resolve allegations that the company violated California privacy laws by recording incoming and outgoing telephone calls without notifying all parties on the call that they were being recorded.

From March 2013 to September 2013, Houzz’s Irvine office secretly recorded calls that were intended for training and quality-assurance purposes.  Although most of the secretly recorded calls were with home improvement and remodeling professionals, Houzz also recorded customer calls and employees’ personal calls.  Houzz did not notify all parties or obtain consent, in violation of state laws against wiretapping and eavesdropping.  The proposed settlement, filed in Santa Clara Superior Court today, resolves Attorney General Harris’s allegations.

“Houzz violated the trust of its professionals, customers, and employees by recording calls without permission,” said Attorney General Harris.  “This settlement holds Houzz accountable for violating state privacy laws and ensures that the company will stop recording calls without permission.”

After being notified by the California Attorney General’s Office in September 2013, Houzz stopped recording calls and voluntarily cooperated with the investigation. 

The settlement, which is in the form of a stipulated judgment, will require Houzz to appoint an individual to serve in a Chief Privacy Officer capacity who will oversee Houzz’s compliance with privacy laws and shall report any significant concerns to the Chief Executive Officer and/or other senior executives. This is a significant step that is aligned with Attorney General Harris’ ongoing efforts to preserve California businesses’ ability to innovate while ensuring that consumers’ right to privacy is protected.

Under the settlement, Houzz must also conduct a privacy risk assessment addressing its efforts to comply with applicable privacy laws governing its U.S. operations. The privacy risk assessment will evaluate issues that are implicated by Houzz’s business processes, use of technology, and processes related to any business partners with whom Houzz shares personal information, as well as Houzz’s efforts to mitigate or avoid any adverse effects on individuals in the United States. 

Houzz is also required to secure the recordings and destroy them and pay $175,000.

Copies of the complaint and stipulated judgment are attached to the online version of this release at www.oag.ca.gov.

SACRAMENTO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today issued a statement applauding Governor Jerry Brown’s signature of Senate Bill 676 (Cannella, R-Ceres), which she sponsored.

“Cyber exploitation is an insidious crime that is used to humiliate, degrade, and financially exploit innocent people,” said Attorney General Harris. “SB 676 will restore dignity to victims by providing California law enforcement with a powerful tool to seize and destroy cyber exploitation images and prevent future distribution. I commend Senator Cannella for authoring this important legislation and thank Governor Brown for signing it into law.”

“As technology evolves, unfortunately, so does the rate of cyber-crimes such as cyber exploitation,” said Senator Cannella. “I appreciate the work of Attorney General Harris in prosecuting those who commit these crimes and am glad that Governor Brown signed SB 676 into law to provide stronger protection to victims."

In April, Attorney General Harris announced an 18-year sentence for cyber exploitation operator Kevin Bollaert. This case was the first successful prosecution in the country of an operator of a cyber exploitation website. Bollaert operated ugotposted.com, which allowed the anonymous, public posting of private photographs containing nude and explicit images of individuals without their permission.

In addition to SB 676, Attorney General Harris is also sponsoring AB 1310 (Gatto, D-Glendale), which would allow search warrants to be issued for crimes related to cyber exploitation and allow for the prosecution of cyber exploitation cases in the county where the victim resides or in the county where the images were posted.

Attorney General Harris has convened a working group of 50 major technology companies, victim advocates, and legislative and law enforcement leaders to fight cyber exploitation through a public-private partnership. Specifically, the Attorney General’s working group on cyber exploitation is focused on four key areas: developing an industry statement of principles, education and prevention, law enforcement training and collaboration, and legislation and advocacy. The working group includes major tech companies such as Microsoft, Twitter, Google, Facebook, and Instagram.

Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit in 2011 to identify and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes, and other crimes involving the use of technology.

SAN FRANCISCO — Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that the operator of a cyber exploitation hacking scheme, who coordinated the hacking of over 300 email accounts, pled guilty to disruption of computer access in San Francisco Superior Court. Charles Evens, 26, will be sentenced on August 19, 2015.

“Evens is being held accountable for stealing victims’ most private and intimate images and profiting from this illegal activity,” said Attorney General Harris. “This case builds on our continued focus to prosecute perpetrators of cyber exploitation and to send a clear message that hiding behind a computer screen will not shield offenders from the full extent of the law.”  

An investigation conducted by Attorney General Harris’ eCrime Unit found that Evens utilized a social engineering scheme in which he tricked Gmail account holders into providing the recovery code – which is provided as an additional security measure to Gmail users – for their accounts to him by posing as a Facebook friend. Once in possession of the recovery code, Evens would then change the recovery email to one of three email accounts under his control, gaining access to the victim’s Gmail account and any other accounts associated with that Gmail account. According to public statements, Evens used this unauthorized access to steal intimate images and access other personal content, which he then sold to Hunter Moore to post on his cyber exploitation website for amounts up to $900.

Once in control of a victim’s Gmail account, he reached out to new victims through linked Facebook accounts, stating that he had lost control of his account and needed to receive a Google reset verification code to unlock it. Shortly after providing Evens with the information, each new victim found that they no longer had access to their own Google accounts. One victim found that Evens had changed her Facebook password and contacted 15 of the victim’s friends using the same scheme.

Evens is also currently pending trial on multiple federal charges of identity theft, computer fraud and abuse, and conspiracy for his role as an accomplice to Hunter Moore, the operator of the cyber exploitation website IsAnyoneUp.com. The federal case alleges that Moore instructed Evens to gain unauthorized access to victim’s email accounts in order to gain additional nude and explicit images for his site. Evens stole intimate images from those accounts and subsequently sold them to Hunter Moore to post on his cyber exploitation website for amounts up to $900.

Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit in 2011 to identify and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes and other crimes involving the use of technology.

In April, Attorney General Harris announced an 18-year sentence for cyber exploitation operator Kevin Bollaert. Bollaert operated ugotposted.com, which allowed the anonymous, public posting of private photographs containing nude and explicit images of individuals without their permission. This case was the first prosecution in the country of an operator of a cyber exploitation website. 

Earlier this month, Attorney General Harris announced a three-year jail sentence for Casey E. Meyering, 28, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who operated a cyber exploitation website WinByState.com and the associated website TakedownHammer. He pleaded no contest to one count of extortion, three counts of attempted extortion, and one count of conspiracy and was sentenced on June 8, 2015 to three years in jail.

Attorney General Harris also reminds users of e-mail and social networking sites to never give out account information unless you can verify the identity of the person asking for this information. Always remember that legitimate companies and government agencies will never ask you for your password or other confidential information online or over the phone. Visit a company’s website directly to access your account information, rather than trusting an email or text message claiming to provide information about the status of your account, and don’t response to messages with a link suggesting your account will be closed or suspended if you fail to respond. 

A copy of the complaint submitted to the court can be found here. Please note that a complaint contains only allegations against a person and, as with all defendants, Charles Evens must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

SAN FRANCISCO – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced today that Casey E. Meyering, the operator of a cyber exploitation website which posted intimate images of unsuspecting victims without their consent, was sentenced to three years in jail.

“Meyering humiliated and belittled victims by operating a website that posted their intimate images and personal information, then extorted them for removal,” said Attorney General Harris. “California will not tolerate the illegal actions of cyber exploitation operators who profit by degrading victims from behind a computer screen. This sentence sends a clear message that cyber exploitation will lead to jail time.”

In May, Meyering pled no contest to one count of extortion, three counts of attempted extortion, and one count of conspiracy.

An investigation by the California Department of Justice’s eCrime unit found that Meyering operated WinByState.com, a cyber exploitation website which solicited the anonymous, public posting of private photographs containing nude and explicit images of individuals without their permission.  

Described as “a user supported website where you can trade your ex-girlfriend, your current girlfriend, or any other girl that you might know,” WinByState.com solicited users to identify their “wins” by city and state, often using the victim’s complete or partial name. In the California-specific user forum for the website, there were over 400 postings.

WinbyState.com also required victims to pay $250 via a Google Wallet account to remove their posted photographs, known as “takedowns”. The account was named TakeDownHammer and it was registered to Meyering at a fictitious Beverly Hills storefront. Law enforcement agents purchased a “takedown” for one of the victims in Napa and traced the funds to Meyering’s bank account in Tulsa. Surveillance footage from the bank identified him withdrawing money from the account.

The investigation began in February 2013, stemming from a complaint by a Northern California victim to a Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety detective. The victim suspected that a college classmate had hacked the victim’s computer and retrieved nude images. Through search warrants, law enforcement discovered that the victim’s classmate had indeed hacked and stolen nude images of her. The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office convicted the classmate for identity-theft related crimes and he received an eight-month jail sentence.

Meyering’s sentence follows the sentencing of Kevin Bollaert, the operator of a similar cyber exploitation website. In April, Bollaert was sentenced to 18 years of incarceration following a verdict which found him guilty of 6 counts of extortion and 21 counts of identity theft. The Bollaert case was the first criminal prosecution of a cyber exploitation website operator in the country.

Attorney General Harris has sponsored a package of bills in the California Legislature that will increase protections for victims by providing critical tools for law enforcement to help investigate and prosecute the growing number of cyber exploitation cases in California. SB 676, authored by Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres), passed the Senate and has been sent to the Assembly. AB 1310, authored by Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Glendale), passed the Assembly and has been sent to the Senate.

In addition, Attorney General Harris has convened a working group of 50 major technology companies, victim advocates, and legislative and law enforcement leaders to fight cyber exploitation through a public-private partnership. The Attorney General’s working group on cyber exploitation is focused on four key areas: (1) developing an industry statement of principles, (2) education and prevention, (3) law enforcement training and (4) collaboration, legislation and advocacy. The working group includes four major tech companies – Facebook, Instagram, Microsoft and Twitter.

Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit in 2011 to investigate and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes, and other crimes involving the use of technology. 

SAN FRANCISCO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced today that cyber-exploitation website operator, Casey E. Meyering, has pled no contest to one count of extortion, three counts of attempted extortion, and one count of conspiracy. He is expected to be sentenced on June 8, 2015. Meyering operated WinByState.com, a cyber-exploitation website on which intimate images of unsuspecting victims were posted without the victims’ consent.

Meyering, 28, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, entered his no contest plea today in Napa County Superior Court. Meyering’s no-contest plea is considered by the court the same as a plea of guilty and, following his plea today, the court found him guilty.

“Today’s plea makes it clear that there will be severe consequences for those who profit from exploiting women online,” said Attorney General Harris. “This is a turning point in the fight against cyber exploitation and a message to those who cowardly profit from victimizing, belittling, and harassing women. My office will continue to be vigilant, and we will investigate and prosecute those who commit these deplorable acts.”

Meyering was arrested in Tulsa on February 13, 2014, and extradited to California following an investigation led by the California Department of Justice’s eCrime Unit. The investigation revealed that the website Meyering owned and administered, WinByState.com, solicited the anonymous, public posting of private photographs containing nude and explicit images of individuals without their permission.  

Described as “a user supported website where you can trade your ex-girlfriend, your current girlfriend, or any other girl that you might know,” WinByState.com solicited uploaders to identify their “wins” by city and state, sometimes using the victim’s complete or partial name. In the California-specific user forum for this website, there were over 400 postings.

WinbyState.com also required victims to pay $250 via a Google Wallet account to remove posted photographs. The account was named TakeDownHammer, and it was registered to Meyering at a fictitious Beverley Hills storefront. Law enforcement agents purchased a “takedown” for one of the victims in Napa, and traced the funds to Meyering’s bank account in Tulsa. Surveillance footage from the bank identified him withdrawing money from the account.

The investigation started in February 2013 from a complaint by a Northern California victim to a Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety detective. The victim suspected that a college classmate had hacked the victim’s computer and retrieved nude images. Through search warrants, law enforcement discovered that the victim’s classmate had indeed hacked and stolen nude images of her. The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office convicted the classmate for identity-theft related crimes, and he received an eight-month jail sentence.

In September 2013, the victim sought law enforcement’s help again because her images appeared on Meyering’s website, WinByState.com. After law enforcement efforts to have Meyering take down the images failed, it paid Meyering’s $250 fee to his Google Wallet account. Following search warrants, law enforcement traced the website and Google Wallet account to Meyering and were able to identify additional California victims.

Meyering’s guilty plea follows the conviction of Kevin Bollaert, the operator of a similar cyber exploitation website. A jury found Bollaert guilty of 6 counts of extortion and 21 counts of identity theft, and a superior court judge in San Diego County sentenced him to 18 years of incarceration. The Bollaert case was the first criminal prosecution of a cyber exploitation website operator in the country.

Attorney General Harris has sponsored a package of bills in the California legislature that will increase protections for victims and provide tools for law enforcement to prosecute the growing number of cyber  exploitation cases in California.  The bills have been approved by the Senate Committee on Public Safety for SB 676, authored by Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres), and in the Assembly Committee on Public Safety for AB 1310, authored by Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Glendale).

In addition, Attorney General Harris has convened a working group of 50 major technology companies, victim advocates, and legislative and law enforcement leaders to fight cyber exploitation through a public private partnership. Specifically, the Attorney General’s working group on cyber exploitation is working on four key areas: developing an industry statement of principles, education and prevention, law enforcement training and collaboration and legislation and advocacy. The working group includes major tech companies such as, Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. AB 1310 was also approve by the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee. 

Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit in 2011 to investigate and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes and other crimes involving the use of technology. 

Attorney General Harris also acknowledged the investigative efforts by the Department of Justice’s law enforcement partners, including the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety and the Northern California Computer Crimes Task Force.

LOS ANGELES— Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that Kevin Christopher Bollaert, the operator of a cyber-exploitation website which posted nude photos of individuals with personal identifying information without their consent, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. This case is the first criminal prosecution of a cyber-exploitation website operator in the country.

“Today’s sentence makes clear there will be severe consequences for those that profit from the exploitation of victims online,” said Attorney General Harris. “Sitting behind a computer, committing what is essentially a cowardly and criminal act will not shield predators from the law or jail. We will continue to be vigilant and investigate and prosecute those who commit these deplorable acts.” 

In February 2015, Kevin Christopher Bollaert, 27, of San Diego, was found guilty on 6 counts of extortion and 21 counts of identity theft.  

An investigation conducted by Attorney General Harris and the Department of Justice found that from December 2012 to approximately September 2013, Bollaert created the website ugotposted.com, which allowed the anonymous, public posting of private photographs containing nude and explicit images of individuals without their permission. Commonly known as revenge porn, the photos are typically obtained consensually by the poster during a prior relationship or are stolen or hacked. Unlike many other revenge porn websites where the subject of the photos is anonymous, ugotposted.com required that the poster include the subject’s full name, location, age and Facebook profile link. As a result, the victims experienced severe harassment through social media, at their places of work and in other communities.

Bollaert created a second website, changemyreputation.com, in October 2012, which he used when individuals contacted ugotposted.com requesting that content be removed from the site.  Bollaert would extort victims by replying with a changemyreputation.com email address and offering to remove the content for a fee ranging from $250 to $350, which could be paid using an online PayPal account referenced in the emails.  Bollaert told investigators that he made around $900 per month from advertising on the site and records obtained from his changemyreputation.com PayPal account indicate that he received payments totaling  approximately $30,000.

Bollaert’s arrest arose from a six-month investigation by the California Attorney General’s eCrime unit. Attorney General Harris created the eCrime Unit in 2011 to identify and prosecute identity theft crimes, cybercrimes and other crimes involving the use of technology. 

In February 2014, Attorney General Harris announced the arrest of Casey E. Meyering, 28, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who operated the website WinByState.com. He was charged with 5 counts of felony extortion and is currently awaiting trial on June 8, 2015.