Until just a few years ago, it was legal in all 50 states to post sexually explicit photos of another person online without their consent. Now, after years of piecemeal efforts to criminalize so-called “revenge porn,” a national solution may be on the horizon.
At a press conference Thursday morning, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California, introduced the Intimate Privacy Protection Act, which would impose criminal sanctions on those who engage in non consensual pornography. Backed by four co-sponsors split evenly across the aisle, the proposed law carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a monetary fine.
