California's New Law Criminalizing 'Revenge Porn'

Update: Governor Jerry Brown signed into law today a measure that makes it a misdemeanor to post identifiable nude pictures of another person online without permission and with the intent to cause emotional distress or humiliation. The penalty is up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

This new law, which takes effect immediately, is meant to address the so-called “revenge porn” issue.

Read our previous story on the measure published on September 12, 2013:

By Jenny Simeone

Jilted lovers have been known to make questionable decisions after being rejected by their exes, often without consequences. However, those who choose to humiliate through “revenge porn” – the public sharing of intimate photos or videos of exes – could soon find themselves facing misdemeanor charges in California.

This week state lawmakers passed SB255, a measure that would punish those who distribute intimate recordings or photographs of another person, without his or her consent, with the intent to cause emotional distress.

“People who post or text pictures that are meant to be private as a way to seek revenge are reprehensible,” noted SB255’s creator, Sen. Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres), in a press release in May. “Right now, there is no tool for law enforcement to protect the victims. Too many have had their lives upended because of an action of another that they trusted.”

Continue Reading…