A bill that would criminalize the posting of intimate images over the Internet as an act of humiliation – so-called “revenge porn” – passed its first test in the Colorado legislature on Thursday, sailing unanimously through the state House Judiciary Committee, says Reuters. The issue has gained attention nationwide from publicized cases involving operators of web sites who will post humiliating explicit images, and then charge the victim money to have them removed.
Last year, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a first-of-its-kind state law criminalizing revenge porn. Similar legislation has been since been introduced in more than two dozen states this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Under the Colorado measure, a person could face a maximum $10,000 fine if convicted of posting or otherwise disseminating images depicting another person’s intimate parts if the actions are intended to cause “serious emotional distress.”