SELFIES - RULES IN CALIFORNIA

Just a few weeks ago, the California legislature passed a bill stipulating that “selfies” — many of the types of photos included in the recent celebrity leak — should be covered under the state’s revenge porn ban. Before that, only photos taken by other people fell under the state’s law, which doesn’t reflect the reality of how partners typically sext. 

“As technology evolves, it is important that government act to protect our citizens from new types of crime, such as revenge porn,” state Sen. Anthony Cannella (R), the bill’s sponsor,explained in a statement. 

One member of Congress is also currently working on potential national legislation on the issue. This past spring, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) announced her intention to introduce a revenge porn ban in the House of Representatives. She’s indicated that she hopes federal legislation will help encourage law enforcement to take revenge porn more seriously. However, it’s unclear what the timeline for that effort will be. Speier’s office did not respond to a request about when that measure may be officially introduced, and deferred on a similar request from the National Journal earlier this summer.

Even with strengthened state and federal laws, legal challenges against revenge porn often face an uphill battle thanks to the 1996 Communications Decency Act, a federal law that courts have interpreted to mean that websites aren’t liable for users’ content. 

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