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California Revenge Porn Law Makes Uploading of Selfie A Crime; Lawmakers Vote To Decriminalize Use Of Selfies In Extortion Regardless Of Who Uploaded Or Took It

Aug 28, 2014 06:40 AM EDT | By Staff Reporter

If you're in California, you better 'selfie' responsibly. Check that, you better be careful of the selfies you upload on social media sites and make sure that it doesn't have any intention but to dazzle and get 'likes.' A new California Revenge Porn Law is now underway as lawmakers have reportedly passed a bill to modify 'revenge porn' law. The modification, according to a statement released by the California government, asserts that selfies uploaded by people to shame the person publicly is now a crime.

"I am pleased that the Legislature has recognized the need to strengthen our law combatting revenge porn. By including selfies, we will provide even greater protections to victims," said Senator Cannella who sponsored the new California Revenge Porn Law.

"As technology evolves, it is important that government act to protect our citizens from new types of crime, such as revenge porn. SB 1255 builds on last year's law to ensure it is outlawed in its entirety."

The statement read:

This bill would instead provide that a person who intentionally distributes an image, as described, of the intimate body part or parts, as defined, of another identifiable person, or an image of the person depicted engaging in specified sexual acts, under circumstances in which the persons agree or understand that the image remain private, the person distributing the image knows or should know that distribution of the image will cause serious emotional distress, and the person depicted suffers that distress, is guilty of disorderly conduct. The bill would also provide that it is not a violation of this provision to distribute the image under certain circumstances, including where the distribution is made in the course of reporting an unlawful activity. The bill makes other technical and clarifying changes.

The previous California Revenge Porn Law was critcized for not including selfies. Cyber Civil Rights Initiative stated that including these kinds of photos is a must because they can also be used to threaten or extort people.

"Some of the posters of this material could potentially avoid liability by arguing that they did so to make money, gain notoriety, or share 'conquests,' as one victim describes it, rather than to cause 'serious emotional distress,'" the group said in a press release.

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