In a significant move to protect individuals’ privacy and combat digital abuse, Massachusetts has enacted a new law targeting the non-consensual distribution of explicit images, commonly known as revenge porn.
For many years, people have distributed naked pictures of themselves to romantic partners. This practice is known as sexting. In some instances, when the relationship terminated, one of the people posted these explicit pictures of their former partner on the internet. This practice, known as revenge porn was often extremely harmful to the victim of the postings. It caused psychological harm, affected their ability to obtain employment, and affected future relationships. Revenge porn became worse with improvements photo editing software and now artificial intelligence. A skilled photo editor can now create computer generated images that are explicit even though the subject of the image never shared a naked picture. The new legislation prohibits the non-consensual sharing of explicit images and extends to computer-generated images, such as deepfakes,
Under this law, the criminal harassment statute in Massachusetts is expanded to include the distribution of sexual images without consent, with increased maximum fines for convictions. This serves as a deterrent against the exploitation of individuals through the malicious sharing of private images.
Furthermore, the law broadens the definition of “abuse” under Chapter 209A to include “coercive control,” a pattern of behavior that threatens, intimidates, harasses, isolates, controls, coerces, or compels compliance of a family or household member, causing fear or a reduced sense of physical safety or autonomy.
The law includes preventative education, legal repercussions, and support for survivors, It is a law that not only penalizes offenders but also educates and protects, setting a precedent for other states to follow.
If you have been the victim of revenge porn you can consult a lawyer to determine your rights or even file a complaint with the police.
