It took New York five long years, but finally, the state passed a bill that will make revenge porn illegal across the state. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo supports the bill, which would make New York the 42nd state to pass a revenge porn law.
The law will allow victims to sue anyone who shares explicit or intimate photos of them without consent, an offense punishable by up to one year in prison. Per the New York Times, the law would also be the first in the nation to “allow judges to order websites or social media platforms — in addition to the original poster — to take down the photos or videos.” The law would also apply to minors, who would appear before a Family Court judge.
The bill is one of several that Democrats, now the majority in New York’s state legislature, pushed through after Republicans blocked the bill in previous years.
Brooklyn lawyer Carrie Goldberg, who was once harassed by an ex online and now represents victims of revenge porn and sexual violence, celebrated the bill’s passage. “I’ve prepared to give this speech five times over five years,” she said at a press conference. “Sexual privacy is just a fundamental right.”