“As our world becomes more technologically connected, our laws need to keep pace, especially when it comes to protecting a person’s privacy. Someone’s most intimate moments should never be strewn across the internet and shared with the world without their consent. The distribution of intimate photos or videos can have devastating consequences for a person’s reputation, employment and emotional and physical well-being and can lead to severe threats, harassment and stalking.

“To prevent the unauthorized sharing of such private material, the Assembly passed legislation to make sharing or publishing an intimate image without consent a class A misdemeanor (A.5981). The new charge would apply in cases where the individual depicted had a reasonable expectation of privacy and the offender knew or should have known that the other party didn’t want their photo shared. The bill also allows a person to pursue civil action against the offending individual, regardless of whether criminal charges have been filed. The person whose photos or videos were shared can also petition the court to require websites that published the media to permanently remove them.

“This legislation ensures that someone who violates another’s trust in such a cruel and personal manner will be held accountable for their abusive behavior. In the face of unprecedented technological advancement, we can’t allow privacy to become a thing of the past. New York is sending a clear message that consent and bodily autonomy are just as important online as they are offline.”