FRANKFORT – A Senate committee advanced a bill today that would criminalize “revenge
porn,” a phrase used to describe sexually explicit images or videos posted online
without the consent of the subject.
The measure, known as House Bill 71, would make the first offense a misdemeanor and
any subsequent offenses a Class-D felony. If a defendant profited from spreading the
images online, the penalties would be enhanced to a Class-D felony for the first
offense and a more serious Class-C felony for subsequent offenses.
HB 71 would also pave the way for victims of revenge porn to file lawsuits against
the person who posted the images. Damages would be $1,000 for each image and each
day the image remained online after it was requested to be removed. Another
provision would prohibit an online operator from demanding money to remove revenge
porn.
Some exemptions to HB 71 would include images involving voluntary nudity in public.
Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, spoke in favor of HB 71 during the Senate Judiciary
Committee meeting.
“This isn’t just a hypothetical,” he said. “This is something that happens every day.”
HB 71 passed the committee by a 6-0 vote. The measure is now before the Senate for
further consideration.