The RCMP are investigating after multiple Whitehorse women found their Facebook photos being used on a pornographic website.

But police say laying charges in the case could be an uphill battle.

A 24-year-old woman, who asked that her name not be used for this story, was shocked last week when a friend stumbled upon what appeared to be an x-rated photo of her posted online.

The image was not of her. Instead, someone had taken a photo off her online profile and superimposed it onto a pornographic shot.

"I was shaking; I got very upset,” she told the Star. "I really didn't know what to do.”

After investigating the website, the woman discovered similar photos of 19 other women — all of whom are linked through Facebook.

A folder of benign photos — such as those taken at birthday parties or fishing trips — had been created for each woman, and users of the porn site were invited to combine those pictures with x-rated ones.

They could then share their creation, she said.

Some folders were labelled with the word "native” — indicating if a woman was First Nations — and all included the women's actual first names.

In one case, the Facebook photos being used were taken when one of the women was still a young teenager, she said.

Since the RCMP became involved, the images have been blocked from computers in North America, she said.

Sgt. Don Rogers with the Whitehorse RCMP said three or four women have come forward with complaints about their images being used.

The police are investigating, but prosecuting anyone involved could be difficult for a number of reasons, he said.

Firstly, any user of Facebook or similar social media sites agrees to a long user contract when he or she first signs up.

"In that, it states quite clearly that if photos are posted publicly, it is at their own risk,” Rogers said.

Secondly, it appears the website may be based outside of Canada, he said, complicating any RCMP investigation.

On Facebook, it is left up to individual users to decide, through privacy settings, how much information they want to share online and to whom.

The woman interviewed by the Star said she has always had the highest privacy settings on her profile with the exception of one week late last year while switching to

Facebook's newest layout.

The pornographic website listed her photos as being posted online in January, she said.

Rogers is encouraging all users of social media sites to be aware of what they are agreeing to when they sign up.

"I would venture to guess that most people don't read (user agreements),” he said. "If you agree to those terms of use, your remedy if something is done is limited.”

Parents should also be aware of the agreements when their kids sign up for these sites.

"You have to be aware of what your children are agreeing to as well,” he said.

The woman who found the photos said she hopes people can learn from what happened to her so it does not happen to anyone else.

"I felt so violated; it was disgusting.”