California Senate Passes Revenge Porn Bill

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The full California Senate approved a bill criminalizing revenge porn yesterday, bringing it one step closer to becoming law.

The bill, also known as SB 255, passed the Senate, 37-1. Only Democratic Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco issued a “no vote” due to his and the ACLU’s concern that the law might interfere with free speech.

It will now be passed along to the Assembly for a similar policy and fiscal review process.  

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 online proliferation of explicit images without the subject’s consent, along with personal information like phone numbers, home town and social media links, is the essence of revenge porn, a recent phenomenon that has caused significant psychological harm to its victims.

Under the new bill, offenders may be charged with a misdemeanor and face one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.  

Cannella’s Communications Director Jeff Macedo told XBIZ that Cannella and his team are “hopeful” that the bill will pass the Assembly before the legislative year concludes Sept. 13.

He also said that bill is classified as an "urgency bill," meaning that it will become law as soon as it signed by the govenor, where it will head if it passes the Assembly.  

Other countries, including Canada and Scotland, have considered developing their own legislative measures to combat revenge porn.

Related:  

Copyright © 2026 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

FSC Talks Age Verification on Capitol Hill

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published a blog post detailing the organization's talks on age verification on Capitol Hill in Washington.

FTC Warns PayPal, Stripe, Visa, Mastercard Against Debanking

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent letters on Thursday to the CEOs of PayPal, Stripe, Visa and Mastercard, warning them against debanking practices — including denying access to services due to a customer’s lawful business activities.

AEBN Publishes Report on Ejaculate Trends

AEBN has published a report on ejaculate categories from its straight and gay theaters.

Chaturbate to Hold 'CB15' Creator Retreat in Arizona

Chaturbate will hold its CB15 creator retreat in Scottsdale from April 20-23.

EU Cites 4 Adult Sites for AV Breaches

The European Commission has preliminarily found PornHub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos to be in breach of Digital Services Act provisions intended to shield minors from adult content.

ProDx Health Joins SextPanther as New Testing Partner

ProDx Health has joined SextPanther as its new testing partner.

Kazumi Guests on Chaturbate's 'Sex Tales' Podcast

Kazumi is the latest guest on Chaturbate’s “Sex Tales” podcast, hosted by Melissa Stratton and Vanniall, and streaming on the company’s “Camming Life” YouTube channel.

WIFEY Publishes 'Hotwife Paradox' Report

Vixen Media Group studio imprint WIFEY has published a report on the hotwife lifestyle.

Pineapple Support Partners with Better Life Science's 'STD Hero'

Pineapple Support has partnered with Better Life Science brand STD Hero.

Brazil Sets Enforcement Timeline for New AV Rules

Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) on Friday published a timeline outlining planned steps for monitoring and enforcing age verification under the country’s Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents (Digital ECA), which took effect Tuesday.

Show More