ITIF Praises Proposed Federal Bill That Would Outlaw Revenge Porn

WASHINGTON—In response to the announcement that Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), with cosponsors Reps. Ryan Costello (R-PA), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Thomas Rooney (R-FL), and Gregory Meeks (D-NY), has introduced the Intimate Privacy Protection Act of 2016, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a tech policy think tank, today released the followed statement from Vice President Daniel Castro:

The distribution of sexually explicit images without the subject’s consent, commonly referred to as “revenge porn,” is a particularly pernicious form of online abuse that can turn victims’ lives upside down. Unfortunately, nonconsensual pornography exists in a legal gray area throughout much of the United States, and while some states have laws offering relief, many victims have inadequate legal recourses available to them and perpetrators often go unpunished.

The Intimate Privacy Protection Act is a narrowly crafted legislative proposal that addresses this issue by criminalizing those who willfully distribute intimate images of others without their consent. While no legislation can solve this problem entirely, this bill finally gives victims of revenge porn clear federal protections while rigorously upholding free speech rights for all Americans. Congress should move quickly to take up debate about the Intimate Privacy Protection Act to ensure the Internet remains a safe space for the exchange of ideas, legal commerce, and innovation.

To learn more about the issue, read ITIF’s report, “Why and How Congress Should Outlaw Revenge Porn.”