SACRAMENTO — The first legislative hearing over California’s newly introduced “revenge porn” bill has been slated for June 4.
The state’s Senate Public Safety Committee will take up the measure that would punish convicted operators with one-year jail sentences and imposing fines of $1,000. The bill would need a two-thirds’ majority vote to move forward.
SB 255, introduced by state Sen. Anthony Cannella, would amend Section 653.2 of the Penal Code and make it a crime to “cause substantial emotional distress or humiliation” to others by distributing over the Internet nude images of them along with personal identifying information.
The revenge porn legislation, labeled as an “urgency” measure, is similar to bills introduced in Florida’s Legislature, but both those died in the state Senate and House of Representatives two weeks ago.
Florida’s legislation would have made offenses a third-degree felony and impose $5,000 fines; California’s bill would treat the offense with a misdemeanor.
Revenge porn is a recent phenomenon and online category where website operators post nude or erotic images of women or men without their consent.
Some revenge porn sites include actual email addresses, cellphone numbers, links to Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn profiles, and residential addresses displayed for all to see.
On June 4, the California State Senate Public Safety Committee will stream the hearing from the state Capitol here.
Revenge porn sites are cool. Not because they are shaming someone, but because it combines 2 of my favorite things, Nude Amateurs & Arguing. The comments sections of some of those sites are pure gold.