Calif. Senate Panel Moves 'Revenge Porn' Bill Forward

SACRAMENTO — A California Senate panel today, 7-0, moved forward a newly introduced piece of legislation that targets "revenge porn" websites.

The bill now moves along to the state Senate Appropriations Committee.

SB 255, introduced by state Sen. Anthony Cannella, would amend Section 653.2 of  the Penal Code and make it a crime to "cause substantial emotional distress or humiliation" to others by distributing over the Internet nude images of them along with personal identifying information.

The measure would punish convicted operators with one-year jail sentences and imposing fines of $1,000.

Revenge porn is a recent phenomenon and online category where website operators post nude or erotic images of women or men without their consent.

Some revenge porn sites include actual email addresses, cellphone numbers, links to Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn profiles, and residential addresses displayed for all to see.

At today's hearing, two witnesses gave testimony for and against the bill — Dr. Charlotte Laws and the ACLU's Francisco Lobaco.

Laws, an author, private investigator and former Los Angeles politician, urged the panel to give the measure an affirmative vote.

Laws last year contacted the FBI over IsAnyoneUp.com, which allegedly posted photos of her daughter, Kayla Laws, a 25-year-old aspiring actress, whose nude photos ended up on the site. Kayla Laws claims her computer was hacked.

"It was a very traumatic experience for her, she curled up in a fetal position, and refused to leave her room," Charlotte Laws said.

Laws said that revenge porn operators are numb to civil litigation and that new legislation is needed in this "new era."

"Civil remedies don't work," she said. "Lawsuits are expensive for plaintiffs and website operators have no assets. Oftentimes they don't even show up in court when summoned — but they are afraid of law enforcement."

"Free speech is about public matters, nude and sexually explicit pictures of ordinary people are different. It is a private matter."

But Lobaca, the ACLU's legislative director for Northern California, said there are a number of constitutional deficiencies with the bill.

"Suffice it to say the posting of lawful even offensive speech is constitutionally protected, unless the speech violates an existing criminal law," Lobaca said. "The fact that it could be emotionally disturbing is protected by the Constitution."

Voting for SB 255 were Sens. Loni Hancock, Joel Anderson, Kevin de Leon, Steve Knight, Carol Liu and Darrell Steinberg.

View SB 255

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Creator of Hentaied, Parasited Launches New Site 'Vampired'

Romero Mr. Alien, the creator of Parasited and Hentaied, has launched Vampired.com as both a stand-alone paysite and part of the Hentaied.Pro streaming platform.

Australian eSafety Commissioner Demands Stricter Child Protection Codes

Australia’s online safety regulator, eSafety, is once again reviewing a “final” draft of industry codes to protect children from pornography and other age-inappropriate content, after eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant rejected the previously announced “final” codes as insufficiently stringent.

Nerdgasm: A Look at the Naughty Side of Pop Culture Geekdom

From “Call of Duty” to cosplay, from tabletop dice rolls to dungeon-inspired dirty talk, the worlds of geek fandom and fantasy are no longer confined to the basement. They’ve kicked down the door, shed the “Firefly” tee and gone full frontal.

Kyrgyzstan Parliament Moves to Outlaw Internet Pornography

A parliamentary committee of the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday approved a measure to outlaw online adult content in the country.

Sweden Bans Purchase of 'Remote' Sexual Services

The Riksdag, Sweden’s parliament, has approved a proposal to criminalize purchasing sexual services performed remotely by streamers and custom content creators.

Asa Akira to Deliver XBIZ Talk at Miami Conference

XBIZ is pleased to announce that decorated performer, Pornhub brand ambassador, and author Asa Akira is set to deliver an exclusive talk at XBIZ Miami.

JustFor.fans Launches 'Fentanyl Test Strip' Initiative

JustFor.fans (JFF) has launched a test strip initiative to combat the nationwide fentanyl crisis.

2025 XBIZ Miami Speaker Lineup Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the release of the full speaker lineup for XBIZ Miami, the latest edition of the adult industry’s premier summer conference, set to take place May 19-22 at the Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beach hotel in South Beach.

AV Bulletin: Arizona's About-Face, What New Laws Mean for Adult

Industry stakeholders and free speech advocates have anxiously been awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, which could significantly impact state age verification laws around the United States. In the meantime, state legislatures continue to weigh and pass AV bills, the U.K. and the EU are moving ahead with their own AV mandates and strategies, and legal challenges continue to play out in U.S. courts — with some cases on hold pending the SCOTUS ruling in Paxton.

Million Billion Media Launches New Website

Management and PR agency Million Billion Media (MBM) has launched a new website.

Show More