'Revenge Porn' Punishment Bill Passed In Ohio Legislature

The Ohio Legislature will send a "Revenge Porn" ban and punishment bill to Governor John Kasich's desk this year. The legislation will establish penalties for people that intentionally post private, explicit photographs of other people to the Internet.

“The act of distributing intimate images often occurs as the result of a breakup in a relationship,” said State Rep. John Rogers. “When a relationship ends on a sour note, one party may react with vengeance and decide to publish or post personal images of their former significant other on social media or to friends and family members with the intent of harming their former partner.”

Rogers, a Democrat from Mentor-on-the-Lake, and State Rep. Nathan Manning, a Republican from North Ridgeville, introduced the bipartisan legislation. It was passed Thursday, before Ohio's Congressional General Assembly ended for the year.

Revenge porn is a phenomenon of the Internet-era, and a cruel tactic for smearing exes. Privately shared photographs, meant for a partner, end up posted for the world to see. The images can spread like "wild fire," Rogers noted.

“The outcome of this conduct can cause a multitude of personal and professional issues, in addition to the humiliation and embarrassment a victim may feel when their most intimate, private exchanges are shared with the world,” said Rogers.

Manning said the bill will give victims judicial tools to fight back against their harassers. He hopes the revised punishments will deter future incidents.

Besides creating penalties for people that intentionally share those private, explicit images, the bill also gives victims certain legal rights and protections. Schools will no longer be able to withhold financial assistance to victims of revenge porn, and prohibits those institutions from punishing students for the same reason. That same protection extends to licensing authorities, who will be barred from preventing or refusing to renew or grant a license to victims.

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The bill passed concurrently in the Ohio House and Senate, partly because of support from the nonprofit Battling Against Demeaning and Abusive Selfie Sharing (BADASS), a group comprised of people who have personal experience with having intimate photographs and videos shared on the internet.

The legislation will now head to Kasich's desk for approval. If he signs the bill, it will go into law 90 days later.

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