‘Revenge porn’ measure moves to Pa. House
A proposal to criminalize “revenge porn,” which passed quickly in the Pennsylvania Senate, now moves toward an uncertain future in the state House.
Revenge porn consists of nude photos, posted online with the subjects’ identifying information.
A proposal to ban it will be taken up by a House committee after its approval in the Senate approval in a matter of weeks.
It’s something sponsoring Sen. Judy Schwank said she can hardly believe.
“I don’t know that we’re always necessarily cutting-edge in this Pennsylvania state Legislature, and I’m including myself in that assessment, so I’m pleased that we’re going to take up something that’s not necessarily already in place in 46 other states,” said Schwank, D-Berks. “We’re actually one of the first few.”
Only California and New Jersey have passed laws attempting to criminalize revenge porn.
The bans target individuals who post images, either with intent to harass or without the permission of the photo’s subject.
But the statutes weren’t written to target websites that host revenge porn. Recent arrests of such website owners have been made under other state and federal laws.
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