Kevin Christopher Bollaert charged over 'revenge porn' extortion

US police have arrested a man accused of running a "revenge porn" website hosting more than 10,000 sexually explicit photos as part of an extortion ploy, officials said.

Kevin Christopher Bollaert, 27, was arrested on Tuesday in San Diego and charged with 31 felony counts of conspiracy, identity theft and extortion over the racket, which allegedly made him tens of thousands of dollars.

"This website published intimate photos of unsuspecting victims and turned their public humiliation and betrayal into a commodity with the potential to devastate lives," California's attorney general Kamala Harris said.

Such photos, commonly knows as revenge porn, are typically obtained consensually during a relationship but are then posted without permission, or are simply stolen or hacked.