Help revenge porn campaigner win award

Laura Higgins from Exeter has been shortlisted for the TalkTalk Digital Heroes Awards and is now in the running to receive £10,000 for her local project.

Laura is having a big digital impact in the area so make sure you get behind her by voting on www.talktalkdigitalheroes.co.uk

Laura is competing against four others to be nominated as the Internet Safety Digital Hero.

Laura has been working on the Revenge Porn Helpline, the first of its kind in Europe.

After supporting an increasing number of people who had been harassed by having their intimate photos shared online, Laura campaigned for increased support for victims and was delighted to receive funding from the Government Equalities Office to set up and run a pilot helpline for victims, which launched in February 2015. Now half way through the pilot, the helpline has taken thousands of calls, and helped hundreds of victims get back in control of their situation.

“I aim to change the attitude of many who believe they have somehow brought it on themselves, and helping shape the law, government policy and the way that social media and internet companies respond to this issue, which can have a devastating and life changing impact.”

With enough votes Laura will be invited to attend a ceremony at the House of Commons later this year where she will be crowned a TalkTalk Digital Hero and receive £5,000 of funding to enhance her project.

The TalkTalk Digital Heroes Awards have already invested half a million pounds into small-scale projects having a big impact on others through the use of technology. At the heart of these projects are inspirational people, like Laura, that are bringing people together, offering support to those around them and giving them the tools that make the lives of us all a little easier.

TalkTalk has 10 Digital Heroes Award categories, and one overall winner who will be announced at the ceremony and granted £10,000. The Digital Heroes are decided by public vote with the overall winner chosen by an expert-judging panel comprising of TalkTalk chairman Sir Charles Dunstone, Lastminute.com founder Baroness Martha Lane-Fox and Daily and Sunday Mirror Editor-in-Chief Lloyd Embley.

Find out more information on the awards and how to vote at www.talktalkdigitalheroes.co.uk