Amateur sex video stirs controversy on Internet

March 2, 2006

An amateur sex video allegedly filmed in Singapore using a mobile phone has become an Internet phenomenon. Various blogs are reporting that tens of thousands of Internet users are searching for the video, creating what bloggers call a "blogstorm". According to unconfirmed reports, the female in the video is "Tammy", a 17 year old student at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) in Singapore, and the male is her 21 year old boyfriend. The incident has stirred controversy, with many bloggers critical of the interest the video has attracted.

Terms such as "tammy nyp" and "tammy video" topped the list of search terms on Technorati, a blog search engine, for days. Bloggers appear to be creating entries containing the terms to increase hits to their blogs. Domain names such as nyptammy.com have been registered, in an attempt to make money through advertising. Further, The Malaysian Star (A major newspaper in a neighbouring country, Malaysia) reported last week that a DVD version of the clips is available for sale on the streets of Penang.

It has been reported in the Singapore press that the female student in the video is currently undergoing counselling. The student has also lodged a complaint with the police, who are currently investigating the matter.

While it is unlikely that the culprits who uploaded the video will ever be caught, a warning must be sounded to people seeking to exploit this unfortunate incident. Under Singapore Law, bloggers who intentionally spread the "Tammy videos" are liable in tort to "Tammy".