Law around unsolicited nudes explained as Azealia Banks accuses Conor McGregor of 'sexual harassment'

Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual harassment which some readers may find distressing

It's been a busy week on the internet after Azealia Banks accused Conor McGregor of sexual assault by sending her unsolicited nude, which she went on to post all over social media. There's a lot to unpack.

It all started over the weekend, when the '212' rapper took to X to call out the MMA fighter, not for sending the pictures in the first place, but for appearing to threaten her into not 'ratting' on him for sending them.

In now-deleted screenshots of the exchange, McGregor appeared to send a nude photo of himself with a weight on his manhood, with the caption 'lifting weights'.

However, it was the follow-up message which appears to have really riled up the rapper, as he wrote: "Don't be a rat cos all rats get caught."

McGregor seems unfazed by the accusations against him (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images via Getty Images)

Sharing the screenshots on X, she wrote: "How you gonna send a b**** a some crooked d*** pics then threaten her not to tell. @TheNotoriousMMA n**** do you know who the f*** I am? This is HARAM."

In a follow-up post, the rapper accused McGregor 'sexually harassed' her, however, both posts have since been deleted.

Do Conor McGregor and Azealia Banks have history?

Despite never having met in person and not actually following each other on social media, the rapper left everyone confused where she went on to claim that she and McGregor having been sending each other x-rated snaps for years.

"No me and Conor McGregor have been sending each other unsolicited nudes since 2016, LOL," she wrote.

The pair have also backed each other up on social media in the past, with the engaged MMA fighter claiming Banks' 'rise from the ashes' served as 'payback' to those who criticised her when people attempted to cancel her.

Azealia Banks claimed the pair had sent each other nudes for years (Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

Are unsolicited nudes sexual harassment?

When explicit content is sent without the consent of the person receiving it, it is considered to be a form of sexual harassment.

In the UK, the term 'cyberflashing' refers to when someone sends a photo or video of their genitals to another person without consent.

Sexual harassment includes any inappropriate and unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical sexual advances, regardless of the perpetrator's intentions.

Is it illegal?

In some counties, cyberflashing is a criminal offence but it depends where the content is being sent from.

In McGregor's native Ireland, the traditional act of flashing, ie in public places, is illegal under the Sexual Offences Act of 2017.

While it doesn't specify cyberflashing, courts have interpreted this law to apply to online activity as well.

In the United States, where Azealia Banks lives and McGregor was believed to be around the time the images were sent, sending unsolicited nudes is not criminalised under federal law, however several states have made it illegal.

In Texas, sending explicit content without consent is a class C misdemeanor.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.