Photos of women at UH are removed from porn website

A man who allegedly posted photos of about 140 women taken at the University of Hawaii at Manoa on a pornographic website has been identified, and the pictures have been removed, UH spokes­man Dan Mei­sen­zahl said Tuesday.

The photos were taken unbeknown to the women. While the images were not lewd, they could be considered disturbing because some women had dozens of  photos posted to the website, which attracted sexual comments, Mei­sen­zahl said.

He said many of the photos were of modestly dressed women sitting at a bus stop on University Avenue or waiting at a crosswalk near the UH law school on Dole Street.

The campus department of public safety learned about the site from at least two women Monday and sent out a campuswide alert about the website, Mei­sen­zahl said. Campus security also notified the Hono­lulu Police Department.

Someone removed the photos from the website before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Mei­sen­zahl said.

He said campus security identified the man Tuesday, and the man met with the security department and was cooperating.

His name and other information were forwarded to police.

Seven women filed “miscellaneous public” reports with campus security, and some said they would file reports with HPD, Mei­sen­zahl said.

HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said she did not have enough information to confirm whether reports had been made to police.

Meisenzahl said campus security cannot comment on whether the man is affiliated with UH because he has not been accused of any crime.

He said UH was providing counseling for those who need it.

“UH is about creating a safe place for people to pursue their education,” Mei­sen­zahl said. He said the alleged actions of the man might not be illegal, “but it’s not appropriate.”

He said the man who allegedly posted the photos could be disciplined under the student code of conduct if he is a student.

The website describes itself as “the biggest adult porn pics site.”

Defense attorney Myles Brei­ner said the man could be accused of harassment, a petty misdemeanor under state law, or cited under a 2012 state cyberbullying law, but both would be unlikely, especially because of First Amendment protections.

He said it is not illegal to post photos of women taken in public, particularly if no threats were made.

“It would be bad taste, but you can’t prosecute someone for bad taste,” he said.

But the women could take civil action against the man, claiming invasion of privacy or defamation, especially if the photos were posted on a pornographic website, he said.