A cyber bullying game spreading across Florida cities and other states has arrived to South Florida.
People are taking to social media sites to post and encourage others to post nude photos of friends and acquaintances without their consent, according to a release by the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office.
This latest cyber bullying game is inspired by the recently released teen horror movie, The Purge: Anarchy.
The movie's storyline is that for 12-hours anyone can commit any crime without consequences.
In real life, fans of the movie are going to social media sites encouraging others to participate in their own "purge."
In many instances, users would take the opportunity to post nude photos of people they know, which is known as revenge porn.
Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center at Florida Atlantic University, says many of the nude photos and victims of cyber bullying are minors.
"It violates child pornography laws. Taking that picture is creation of child pornography," he says. "Sending it to a friend perhaps via text or email is transmission of child pornography. And storing it on a device even is possession of child pornography. In pretty much every jurisdiction it’s a felony offense. "
The state attorney's office warned that recently created social media accounts with explicit posts are based in South Florida.
Local law enforcement agencies are investigating. Anyone who believes they have been victimized should contact their local police department.
