• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, January 9, 2018

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday accused the operators of alleged revenge porn site MyEx.com of engaging in unfair business practices.

The site operators allegedly encourage people to post naked photos and videos of former partners. The operators then charge victims removal fees ranging from $499 to $2,800, the FTC and Nevada Attorney General allege in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Nevada.

"Anyone with Internet access can view the images and personal information on the site, and share it," the complaint states. "These images can dominate search engine results for the victim’s name, are publicly available, and have often been associated with the victim’s social media presence."

The complaint says that the company behind the site, identified in court papers as EMP Media (also known as Post My Ad, T&A Media and Internet Secrets) gleaned more than $4 million between January 2014 and April 2016.

One of the alleged site operators, Neil Infante, has agreed to settle the charges by refraining from posting other people's "intimate images and personal information" without their consent. He also agreed to a $205,000 judgment, with all but $15,000 suspended.

The FTC, which says it received complaints about the site, alleges that consumers have lost jobs, or fear they may lose jobs, as a result of the posts. Consumers also faced financial harm in the form of removal fees, the FTC alleges.

"This posting of intimate images and personal information is an unwarranted invasion of privacy into consumers’ lives," the complaint states. "In addition, it causes injury in the form of depression, anxiety, loss of reputation, and safety fears."

The FTC previously sued site operator Craig Brittain for allegedly duping women into sending nude videos, which he posted online. He then allegedly demanded between $200 and $500 to remove the images. Brittain settled the matter by agreeing to delete the images and refrain from publicly posting nude pictures in the future, without people's consent.