Lawyers for Facebook and a Dutch revenge porn victim have agreed that both sides can now investigate who uploaded the video, after months of legal wrangling.

The video was uploaded last January by a fake account bearing the name of a young Dutch woman named Chantal. Facebook failed to comply with a court order to reveal who set up the account last July, claiming that the data disappeared.

After a judge determined that there should be an independent investigation, several months of legal bickering ensued.

Chantal wanted the research carried out by Dutch forensic IT specialist Mark Hoekstra, while Facebook wanted it done by an Irish investigator of its own choosing.

Facebook Ireland collects information on all users outside the US, and the company was worried that an external investigator would reveal trade secrets, crime reporter Peter de Vries told Omroep Brabant.

Conclusion

Now both parties have agreed that research will be conducted by both Hoekstra and Dublin-based Dave O’Reilly.

Chantal is ‘happy that research can now finally take place and we can move forward’ said De Vries.

Chantal’s ex-boyfriend said that he has no idea who put the film online, and that he feels extremely sorry for the girl.

The investigation begins in April and is expected to take six to eight weeks.