Hawaii Makes Revenge Porn a Felony

HONOLULU — Hawaii has become the 10th state in the nation to pass a law against revenge porn.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed the bill into law on June 20 that makes it illegal for anyone to record or disseminate images or video or a person in the nude or in sexual conduct without their consent.

“Today the State of Hawaii will have enacted a law which makes it a felony for perpetrators to post unconsented nude or sexual photos of another person on the Internet,” said Rep. John Mizuno who authored the bill. “There is not one scintilla of doubt this new law will save lives.”

The criminalization of revenge porn in Hawaii — a class 5 felony —carries with it a penalty punishable of up to five years in jail.

Mizuno said the law was tough to pass because of free speech issues, but believes that hurting a person’s career or mental state by providing personal information “crosses the line.”

"He or she can be in jail for more than five years, so this is pretty powerful. It's pretty potent, so it will be a strong deterrent for those that want to do something like this," Mizuno said.

Human rights activists claimed victory after the adoption of the law.

"I feel great. It's a huge victory for victims of sexual assault. I think it's important to remember that revenge porn is sexual assault," Kris Coffield of the Imua Alliance told Hawaii News Now.

"Spreading somebody's naked image online for everybody to see without that person's permission is extremely abusive and traumatic for that victim," added Kathryn Xian, of the Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery.

"Given that the Internet makes the commission of cyber crimes like revenge porn so easy, the number of cases out there is going to far exceed our expectations," Coffield added.

Hawaii joins Arizona, California, New Jersey, New York, Georgia, Idaho, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin as states that have passed revenge porn laws. Idaho and Arizona make it a felony for a first violation; the crime is a felony in Georgia and Utah on the second offense.

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

UK Lawmaker Calls for Appointment of 'Porn Minister'

Baroness Gabrielle Bertin, the Conservative member of Parliament who recently convened a new anti-pornography task force, is calling for the appointment of a “minister for porn,” according to British news outlet The Guardian.

FSC Toasts Jeffrey Douglas for 30 Years of Service

n the very same evening when the adult industry was hit hard by the Supreme Court ruling supporting Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181, members of the Free Speech Coalition board, staff and supporters gathered to celebrate Jeffrey Douglas’ 30 years as board chair — a fitting reflection of his reputation as an eternal optimist.

TTS Opens UK Testing Location

Talent Testing Service (TTS) has opened a new U.K. location in Ware, Hertfordshire.

FSC: Age-Verification Laws Go Into Effect South Dakota, Georgia, Wyoming on July 1

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published a statement regarding new age verification laws set to go into effect tomorrow in South Dakota, Georgia, and Wyoming.

FSC Responds to Supreme Court Decision on Texas AV Law

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has released a statement responding to last week's Supreme Court decision on FSC v. Paxton, the Texas age verification law.

Sex Work CEO Debuts Upgraded 'GPTease' AI Assistant

Sex Work CEO has introduced the new Canvas in-chat editing feature to its AI-powered, NSFW text generator, GPTease.

UPDATED: Supreme Court Rules Against Adult Industry in Pivotal Texas AV Case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday issued its decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, striking a blow against the online adult industry by ruling in support of Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181.

North Carolina Passes Extreme Bill Targeting Adult Sites

The North Carolina state legislature this week ratified a bill that would impose new regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most adult creators and content.

Supreme Court Ruling Due Friday in FSC v. Paxton AV Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will rule on Friday in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, the adult industry trade association's challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181.

Ofcom: More Porn Providers Commit to Age Assurance Measures

A number of adult content providers operating in the U.K. have confirmed that they plan to introduce age checks in compliance with the Online Safety Act by the July 25 deadline, according to U.K. media regulator Ofcom.

Show More