A popular Toronto photographer is being accused of posting revealing photos and contact information of women he knows in online forums meant to shame, expose and harass — which the women say violated their trust and was done without their consent.Ren Bostelaar, an amateur photographer and married father behind the blog Bike Rack TO, issued an apology on Facebook after he was confronted by at least one of the women involved. That post sparked fierce reaction in recent days, including from those discovering photos not meant for public view had been posted alongside their identities and contact information.Those photos and identifying details appeared on at least one well-known site, 4chan, which has been called one of the darkest corners on the Internet and permeated public knowledge when it became host to a stockpile of nude photos of celebrities in 2014.Toronto Police confirmed Monday they are investigating Bostelaar for criminal harassment after a complaint was made Sunday.Bostelaar told the Star, through an emailed statement from criminal defence lawyer Sam Goldstein, that “the photographs he posted had been posted by the women themselves to public social media websites such as Facebook, Reddit or Tumblr” and that he “did not deliberately disseminate private details of these woman on the Internet with malicious intent. He is deeply sorry for what he did.”The Star spoke with seven women, all who said they know Bostelaar personally and who detailed how their photos and contact information had been unknowingly shared without their consent.“It has come to light that I’ve been engaging in a reprehensibly bad behaviour (sic) and I would like to make a public apology and take responsibility for my actions,” Bostelaar wrote.His Facebook account and several of his other profiles appear to have since been deactivated. The Star saw multiple screenshots of his posts.Bostelaar went on to admit he had “participa ...
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