It's called the "revenge porn bill."
On Tuesday, California became the second state to pass a law banning online posts or other distribution — online or offline — of intimate photos or videos of a person without his or her consent. The law breezed through the California's state legislature with little resistance and Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill into law.
See also: Keep It Clean: 8 Tools to Block Porn and Sexting
For the purpose of this law, "intimate" is defined as showing "any portion of the genitals, and in the case of a female, also includes any portion of the breasts below the top of the areola, that is either uncovered or visible through less than fully opaque clothing."
The measure, introduced by Sen. Anthony Cannella, first passed by a 37-1 vote in the state's senate on Aug. 15. The bill passed by a vote of 77-1 in the assembly on Sept. 11. The state senate re-voted on the assembly's amended version of the bill on Sept. 11 and passed it unanimously.
"Too many have had their lives upended because of an action of another that they trusted," Cannella said in a statement after the bill's passage.
Revenge porn is categorized as the following, according to a clause from the bill:
Any person who photographs or records by any means the image of the intimate body part or parts of another identifiable person, under circumstances where the parties agree or understand that the image shall remain private, and the person subsequently distributes the image taken, with the intent to cause serious emotional distress, and the depicted person suffers serious emotional distress.
Violation of the above is now considered disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The law goes into effect immediately.
Cannella submitted the bill after the California's Feb. 22 deadline for filing but was still able to introduce it as an "urgency measure," which means the issue affects "the public peace, health, or safety," according to the California legislature's website. Bills with urgency clauses require a two-thirds vote in both of the state's legislative bodies for passage.
Assemblyman Tim Donnelly was the only person in California's legislature to vote 'no' on the final version of the bill.
"Assemblyman Donnelly voted no on that bill because he didn’t believe there was a need for government to become further involved in what happens in people’s bedrooms," Alex Vassar, Donnelly's chief of staff, told Mashable in an emailed reply.
New Jersey is the only other state with a law (.PDF) on its books banning revenge porn. Florida's lawmakers raised a similar measure earlier this year, but it never made it through the state's legislature.
Image: Flickr, Jessica Paterson