House passes Rep. Buys’ bill addressing revenge porn
On Friday, the state House passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Vincent Buys, R-Lynden, that would create a criminal offense for individuals who share intimate images without the consent of the individual depicted. This is sometimes called “revenge porn.”
“We’re seeing this happen more frequently as advanced technology and new media makes it easier for someone to share sexually explicit content online and with others,” said Buys. “Many victims of revenge porn have had their lives devastated and a number of youth have even committed suicide as a result of this unacceptable behavior.”
House Bill 1272 would make the unconsented distribution of intimate images of others a class C felony on the second offense.
Buys sponsored a similar bill during the 2014 legislative session but it did not advance partly due to concerns that the penalty, which was a class C felony on the first offense, was too harsh as many offenders of revenge porn are teens. In the 2015 version, the crime of disclosing intimate images begins as a gross misdemeanor on the first offense, then escalates to a class C felony. House Bill 1272 was also modified for juvenile offenders. A person 18 or younger cannot be criminally liable if they did not distribute the intimate image intentionally or maliciously.
During his speech on the House floor, Buys commended the work of state Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver, on House Bill 2160, which provided a civil liability to revenge porn.
Both bills now advance to the Senate for consideration.
