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Alice Yan

A young woman whose crying selfie was stolen and misused on pornographic websites and in advertisements for sex products has aroused widespread attention on mainland social media.
The 19-year-old, surnamed Liang, is a first-year student at a university in Harbin of Heilongjiang province, in northeast China.
Two years ago, when she was reading a sad novel and cried as a result, she took a picture of herself and posted it online, Jimu News reported.
But since then, numerous pornographic websites and advertisements for products and services like aphrodisiacs, matchmaking, and travel agencies have misappropriated her picture.

Apparently, she was considered by many internet users as “too beautiful when crying”.
Liang said she only became aware that her picture had been stolen when friends alerted her.
Recently, Liang discovered that her picture has been widely used in a popular product called “orgasm shot”, an injection treatment to boost women’s sexual arousal.
A single ad carrying her crying photo has been viewed 700,000 times on a social media platform, said Liang.
She said she has complained to some platforms, but only a few of them have removed the problematic ads.
This prompted her to call in the police at the beginning of May.
“I feel it is absurd. I do not understand why such an ordinary picture can be used in those advertisements,” Liang said on social media on May 6.
“I even heard some people saying behind my back, ‘Isn’t that the girl selling aphrodisiacs?’”
She said she has no idea which company to contact to tell them to delete the controversial advertisements or remove her picture from pornographic websites.

“I am so innocent. I do not even know what an orgasm shot is. In that picture I am not wearing revealing clothes, or doing any provocative moves. I do not know what I did wrong,” Liang said.
She called on social media platforms to improve their whistle-blowing systems because it is difficult for victims to safeguard their rights as things stand.
“After discovering my picture was stolen and misused, I started sending tip-offs to websites. I prepared plenty of material. However, most of my efforts were to no avail.”
Chen Pingfan, a lawyer from Furong Law Firm in central Hunan province, told the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald that Liang’s experience showed the plight of victims in the digital era in terms of safeguarding their image and reputation.


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‘Innocent’ 19-year-old thought to be ‘too beautiful when crying’ by internet users seeks redress, has ‘no idea what she did wrong’


‘Innocent’ 19-year-old thought to be ‘too beautiful when crying’ by internet users seeks redress, has ‘no idea what she did wrong’.


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China teenage girl’s crying photo, stolen, misused on porn websites, in sexual arousal ads

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}‘Innocent’ 19-year-old thought to be ‘too beautiful when crying’ by internet users seeks redress, has ‘no idea what she did wrong’

‘Innocent’ 19-year-old thought to be ‘too beautiful when crying’ by internet users seeks redress, has ‘no idea what she did wrong’