Hello, and Thank You All for Joining Me on What I D Like to Describe As an Odyssey, An

Hello, and thank you all for joining me on what I’d like to describe as an odyssey, an odyssey of emotions, an odyssey of learning, and an odyssey of great change. Before I invite you on board this ship, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself, and give you a little bit of context. I am Lionel Hagege, a forty year old, Franco-Israeli born in the beautiful European city of Paris, French’s capital, a place known for its art, fashion, delicious food and great culture. At the age of 17 years old, I left Paris, and this very country, the United States of America became my home. It is here that I learnt that beauty that is the English language, and I’d like to think that I’ve become pretty proficient! As far as I can remember, I’ve always been passionate, and intrigued by the world around me, and I strongly believe that this had led to my innate desire to travel. Luckily, I’ve been able to appease that desire. After learning American English, I set my sights for the continent of Africa, a place known for its abundance of culture, food and spectacular hospitality.

Behind every company, every project, every business, is the unwavering belief that they can achieve whatever the aim of that company, project, or business may be. There is passion, resilience, hard work and dedication. There is blood, sweat and tears. The foundation of my business in particular is built upon a number of these attributes, but the most important component for me has to be a belief in humanity, in justice, and in the protection of humankind. There are 321.1 million people that make up this country, and within the rat race, the hustle and bustle of life, the stresses, trials and tribulations, we often forget to be human. That’s what it all melts down to. Being human. Our hopes, dreams, mistakes, triumphs, our emotions, we have a duty to care and protect one another. Today, I will share the exact moment that it all hit home for me, the moment that sparked a call for action. Not just as a human, but as a father, a parent, and as a member of our society. The moment that made me realise that as a human, as a father, as a parent, and as a member of society, I have the power to be a catalyst for change, in the same way that every single person in this audience, and worldwide does also. Today, ladies and gentleman, I will share with you the moment that I realised that this power that we have has to be put to good use, that the duty we have needs to be fulfilled, and this is when the core of FACEPINPOINT was born.

It all started two years ago, in 2015. This is a day that I will never forget for the rest of my years, as I begin to recollect, I can already see the same series of images that flashed before my very eyes, and I can hear that clear, informative, authoritative voice as if it were yesterday. At the time, of course, I thought that this would be just like any other day. As I explained, I’ve always been passionate about the world around me, so watching the news has always been second nature to me. I sat down to watch the news, watching and listening intently, completely focused on this box in front of me. Suddenly, a young woman appeared on the screen, the reporter explained that she had committed suicide because an intimate video, in which she featured, was shared online. Now, I’ve had my own trials and tribulations within the duration of my life, much like you, you, and you sat over there. The emotion that I felt at that precise moment was like nothing I had ever felt before; I cannot liken it to any other experience. I was absolutely, completely distraught. An immediate wave of overwhelming sympathy hit my entire being all at once, starting from the top of my head, infiltrating my entire being, oozing its way through, all the way down to my toes, making sure that it did not miss even the smallest square inch of my body. Time seemed to stand still.

I did not know this young woman personally, I’d never crossed paths with her, but I felt a sense of resonance with her. This young woman, whose images were appearing before my very eyes, felt like someone I knew, and why? Because this young woman could have been my daughter. She could have been the daughter, granddaughter, sister, cousin, as well as the future wife and mother of anyone sat here today. I, myself, am the proud father of two amazing young girls, both under the age of sixteen, around the same age as this young girl. This young woman could have been my daughter. This overwhelming feeling only intensified when that realisation really set in, it really hit me, this story really pulled on my heartstrings. This young woman must have had hopes, dreams, friends and family. Who knows of the great contributions that she could have brought to this world? Who knows of the breadth of her capabilities? My mind became, what I can only describe as, a volcano that had erupted, incredibly rife with a series of passing thoughts that still hurt me to this day, two years later. What if one of my daughters found themselves in the same position as this young woman, where they felt so distraught, helpless, alone, and at their lowest ebb, that they felt the only way to resolve the situation they had found themselves in, would be to take their life? As a parent, one of your greatest fears is seeing your child’s lifeless body in a coffin, knowing that you’ll never hear their laugh, see them achieve their hopes and dreams, beaming as they graduate from college, or see their eyes well up with tears at their wedding day whilst your heart swells with pride. As a parent, one of your greatest duties is to help and protect your child from anything and everything in this world that threatens their happiness, anything that will harm them in any way. My daughters are my absolute world, and I would do anything on this entire planet for them, I’d move mountains for them.

As these series of thoughts continued to drift through my mind, there was one particular thought that sparked a plethora of more questions. I thought to myself, what could I do to prevent my girls from possibly experiencing a similar situation? How can I, as a father, protect not only my young daughters, but also the millions of young women and men who share photos, videos and contents of an intimate nature, perhaps because they’re deep within the throws of love, or because they felt pressured to do so, or indeed, because for them, this is a means to feel praise, to feel accepted, and to feel confident within themselves.

Sexting is defined by the U.S court system as “an act of sending sexually explicit materials through mobile phones” This could be through text messages, a photo or a video. 15% of teenage girls have sent or posted nude or semi-nude images of themselves, and send these to people they have never met, but have had interactions with on the Internet. Our young girls are looking for praise, acceptance and confidence from complete strangers. What does this tell us about our society and how we are failing are young people? 24% of teenagers aged between 14 to 17 and 33% of those aged 18 to 24 have been involved in a form of nude sexting. 11% of teenage girls aged between 13 to 16 have been involved with sending or receiving sexually explicit messages. 55% of people will share your message with more than one person. Nearly 70% of teenage boys and girls who sext, do so with their girlfriend or boyfriend, 61% of all those who participated who have sent nude images admit they were pressured to do it at least once.

Studies have shown that teenage girls that have a negative perception of themselves are four times more likely to take part in activities with other teenage boys, only to end up regretting this later. 7 in 10 teenage girls believe that they are not good enough or don’t measure up in some way, including within their looks, performance in school, and relationships with friends and family members. The top wish of teenage girls, was for their parents to have open and honest communication with them. Ladies and gentleman, we are doing our children a great grievance by not talking about subjects surrounding nude photography and sexting exchanges. We need to help to facilitate an environment in which young girls as well as boys feel comfortable enough to open up to us and talk about anything and everything, even issues that they hold close to their heart, issues that they may feel uncomfortable to talk about. It is incredibly important, not only for maintaining a great relationship with our children, but also because you and I could potentially save lives. No one should ever feel as though they are alone, especially our young people. Being a teenager is hard enough as it is. Here in the U.S, 8 states have enacted bills to protect minors from sexting, and an additional 13 states have proposed bills to legislation, that’s less than a quarter of all American states. We need to do more.

I also thought, how can I protect those who are filmed or photographed in their most intimate moments, without their permission, without their knowledge, without their consent? What could I do, as a father of two youngsters, as a human being, as a citizen, as a member of society? It was at this precise moment that something deep inside of me started to change, the fire was ignited, and I knew that it would not be extinguished until found the answers to my questions. I just had to find the answers to my questions.

So I embarked on this odyssey, with nothing but a fire in my stomach and a deep passion within my heart. I knew that I had to learn absolutely everything and anything that I could the subject of my question and its associated areas. I just had to find the answers to my questions. I spent hour after hour, day after day, week after week, month after month, exhausting every single resource I could get my hands on, I completing books worth of research – I could have made a straight A student green with envy! Amongst all the Internet searches, the clicks, browsing and books, I found that it was all to no avail. There was absolutely NOTHING that existed to prevent or stop images from appearing on the Internet. What shocked me even more so, is that due to the technological age that we have found ourselves in, absolutely everything you post online can be easily accessible within the public domain, and even if you delete this image, your Internet blue print is still left behind.

Let’s look at two social media sites, Facebook and Twitter. Facebook currently has an impressive two billion monthly active users, whilst Twitter has 328 million. You may be surprised to know that Facebook and Twitter do not delete user data. You can delete your posts, statuses, tweets, images, but they all exist in perpetuity. Even with Snapchat, with its 158 million daily users, where users spend between 25 to 30 minutes using the app everyday, where posts are only visible for a specified time period, users can still take screenshots of anything viewed. Our data is absolutely everywhere. It was during my extensive research that I realised, that there is nothing to protect me, or you. Absolutely nothing. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I tell you this because it is an incredibly scary thought. It echoes the ‘Big Brother’ metaphor that in George Orwell’s 1949 novel ‘1984’. That spoke of political surveillance, totalitarian control, a loss of individual liberty, a ruling oligarchy control, a dehumanisation of society. It was almost a prophecy. What a bitter pill to swallow.

Let’s look at the case of Miss Teen USA 2013, Cassidy Wolf. Her webcam was hacked by a teenager boy she attended school with, and one day, she received an email containing a series of photos of her changing. Unlike most cases of intimate photo exchange, they had no prior relationship. She had never interacted with this young man, only knowing his name, and seeing him as they passed by each other in their high school hallway. He blackmailed Cassidy, demanding photos of a better quality, a video, and for her to undress for him on Skype, and if she refused, he would publish her intimate images on her social media accounts. This would have completely ruined her beauty pageant chances. Talking to CNN, Wolf said she found the incident traumatizing. She had never interacted with the young man, only knowing his name, and seeing him past by her in their high school hallway. These images were secretly taken in Cassidy’s bedroom, happened in her bedroom, the most private, intimate space, where you should feel the most safe. Shockingly, Cassidy wasn’t the only victim, 12 other girls were listed within the criminal complaint, but this young man had hacked into the personal computers of between 100 to 150 people.

The personal accounts of actresses Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis, and other victims were also hacked in 2012. Nude photos that Ms Johansson had taken of herself, for her then-husband Ryan Reynolds were published on the Internet. The thirty five year old hacker went on to target two other women he knew, and sent nude pictures of one of his former co-workers to her father. Aside from reputation, what we often fail to think about are the psychological effects. Both women said their lives were irreparably damaged by his cruel actions. One woman has been left with anxiety, and suffers from panic attacks. The other woman suffers from depression and is paranoid.

The singer Christina Aguilera also published a statement days before the man was sentenced, saying, “that feeling of security can never be given back and there is no compensation that can restore the feeling one has from such a large invasion of privacy”.

In just over a year, this man invaded the privacy of more than fifty people in the entertainment industry.

Unfortunately, we live in a culture that prefers to point the finger of blame, even when that finger isn’t clean. Continuously, I came across phrases such as “why did she/he send the photo in the first place?” or “She/he got what they deserved for being careless.” What individuals within society tend to forget is that this can happen to anyone, just like Cassidy. You and I could easily become victims at any given moment. This could be happening right now, we speak, or even half an hour from now, in any given setting. Hotel rooms with hidden camera, a tan room with a hidden camera, a massage parlour, a public toilet, even a repair shop can extract your content and upload it on to the Internet. Much like Cassidy and those 100 plus people, and the 110 million Americans, nearly half of the US adult population who were hacked in 2014, we aren’t exempt from cloud or webcam hacks either.

On my quest to find an answer to my question, I found the answer within the absence of data and material. I found out exactly what I had to do to prevent future cases such as the one that I witnessed on the news, the case of Cassidy, or the 110 million Americans. I found out how to protect someone’s daughter and son, sister and brother. I am extremely proud to say that I am the founder and CEO of FACEPINPOINT that I started up alongside our Chief Technical Officer Adam this year. We are the only face recognition platform that is dedicated to locating intimate pictures that are illegally published online, and taking the best possible steps of action to have them removed. Our affiliation with a nationwide network of lawyers means that we can ensure that victims get the justice that they deserve.

As well as our network of lawyers, I am blessed enough to work with a team of incredibly talented individuals, who are all as passionate about the message, the commitment, and the aim of FACEPINPOINT, as I am. We have world-class experts within computer vision, face analysis, face recognition, machine learning, big data, psychology, technology, as well as marketing. We have every aspect covered.

We strongly believe that what is shared in private, should remain private. FACEPINPOINT is the best insurance to find your content online, before someone that you know does. We care about your reputation, and about you as an individual. We pride ourselves on having a non-judgmental approach.

The fire that ignited my call to action two years ago still blazes intensely, little did I know, that it would ever be extinguished. I hope I’ve ignited a fire within you to help and protect those that are vulnerable within our society, and to also remember that you are never alone. I am Lionel Hagege, the proud CEO and founder of FACEPINPOINT, the only face recognition platform that is dedicated to locating and removing intimate pictures illegally published online, and ensuring that victims get the justice they deserve. Thank you for listening.