'Consent To Click Is Not Permission To Share’: Karnataka DGP's Strict Order To Combat Sextortion

Published 17 June 2026 · india

'Consent To Click Is Not Permission To Share’: Karnataka DGP's Strict Order To Combat Sextortion Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 17, 2026, 09:08

'Consent To Click Is Not Permission To Share’: Karnataka DGP's Strict Order To Combat Sextortion Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 17, 2026, 09:08 IST The standing order explicitly states that a person's consent to be photographed or recorded does not automatically mean consent to share or distribute that content. Rapid Read The standing order mandates that police stations must immediately register a First Information Report (FIR) whenever a victim comes forward with complaints involving leaked private media, blackmail, sextortion, or revenge porn. (AI generated image) In a major move to protect digital privacy and crack down on cybercrimes targeting women, the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) of Karnataka has issued a comprehensive new directive, “Standing Order 1061". The order establishes strict, legally binding guidelines for police officers handling cases involving unauthorized recordings, revenge pornography, and sextortion. The directive, officially dated June 15, 2026, aims to bridge critical gaps in how law enforcement deals with digital intimacy and privacy violations. It explicitly states that a person’s consent to be photographed or recorded does not automatically mean consent to share or distribute that content.

“The consent given to capture a photograph/video and the consent given to share/disseminate it are entirely different." The order warns that ignoring this distinction or sharing such media without explicit permission constitutes a cognizable offence. Zero Tolerance for Sextortion and Revenge Porn The standing order mandates that police stations must immediately register a First Information Report (FIR) whenever a victim comes forward with complaints involving leaked private media, blackmail, sextortion, or revenge porn. The directive outlines specific legal provisions to ensure strict prosecution under both the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. Under Section 77 of the BNS, 2023, voyeurism – including capturing or publishing images of a woman engaged in a private act without her consent – carries a prison sentence of one to three years for a first offence, and three to seven years for subsequent offences. Further, Section 66E of the IT Act penalises the intentional violation of privacy through the capturing, publishing, or transmission of images of a person’s private parts without consent, with punishment of up to three years in prison or a fine of up to Rs 2 lakh.