Miriam O'Callaghan has told of her shock at learning she is one of hundreds of unsuspecting women whose photos have been edited on to pornographic images.

The RTE presenter was one of several Irish celebrities whose pictures were photoshopped and used on a site that carries adult content and attracts disturbing comments from users.

"It's pretty shocking to hear my face has been photoshopped in this way," Miriam told the Herald.

"The big problem is that those images are out there in the online world, without us knowing, and there's so little you can actually do about it right now."

The Prime Time host's image was found on the site along with Claire Byrne, Kathryn Thomas, Lucy Kennedy, Jenny Greene, Vogue Williams, Nuala Carey, Colette Fitzpatrick and Anne Cassin. Pictures of them all were superimposed on to images of naked women.

TV chef Rachel Allen said that when she learnt that her pictures had been used she saw some humour in it, but added that there needs to be more social media education.

"On a serious level, there absolutely needs to be laws," she said.

Disgusted

Expand Close Miriam O'Callaghan pictured at the Bord Gais Theatre at the launch of the new season's shows for RTE 1 and RTE 2. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin. Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin / Facebook

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Whatsapp Miriam O'Callaghan pictured at the Bord Gais Theatre at the launch of the new season's shows for RTE 1 and RTE 2. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin.

Other celebrities contacted by the Herald did not comment on the pictures, but it is understood they are disgusted and shocked.

The images emerged as part of an ongoing investigation into a site where women's pictures have been used in this way.

It was launched after a complaint was made by Katie Kirwan, a 19-year-old who spoke out earlier this year when pictures were stolen from her Facebook profile.

The Cork teenager was horrified when she discovered that photos of her taken when she was only 14 were on an explicit website.

Threatening and offensive comments were posted on the photos, which have been viewed more than a million times.

Ms Kirwan said a number of her friends had their images taken and manipulated as well.

"General comments - asking for my e-mail, asking for nudes of me, asking for all sorts," she told the Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk.

"There was edits of me with phallic symbols, for lack of a better description, and so I obviously was horrified."

Speaking to the Neil Prendeville Show on Red FM, she said she was horrified to think that someone had been tracking the pictures she uploaded to social media.

"They started posting me five years ago and then they stopped in September last year. They followed my life for so long and I had no idea," she said.

Ms Kirwan has strict privacy settings implemented on her Facebook profile, meaning the pictures were taken by one of her so-called friends.

"It's someone in our friends list. The scary thing is it could be anyone," she said.

It is understood that the same has happened to several young women throughout Ireland, whose images have been stolen and posted on explicit websites without their consent.

The website where Ms Kirwan's images were found also had anonymous users sharing images with each other and discussing what they would like to do to the girls depicted.

Graphic comments referring to rape, paedophilia and misogynistic abuse are said to have been discussed by the users.

A garda spokesman encouraged anyone who found their images being used in this way, or who suspected a crime had been committed, to report it.

Hatred

A person can report suspected child pornography or incitement to hatred (such as racist hate speech) online by using the reporting form available at hotline.ie, the spokesman added.

There are few laws in place at present to legislate against "revenge porn" or the manipulation of images in this way, but the Law Reform Commission recently recommended making the misuse of images in this way illegal.

Similar laws in the UK have resulted in convictions.

Herald