WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Morris bill would outlaw “revenge porn”

Posting intimate, private photos on the Internet to embarrass a former romantic partner would be a crime under a proposal reviewed by a House committee Jan. 31.

The measure, House Bill 2250, is aimed at so-called “revenge porn” web sites, which display nude or explicit images of people posted by ex-partners intent on harassment or humiliation.

 “As technology develops, there’s going to be bad deployment of that technology,”  Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, who sponsored the bill, told the House Public Safety Committee. “We should nip Internet propagation of these types of sites in the bud.”

The bill would make Internet posting of revenge porn a felony if the images are intimate, if it was originally understood by the partners that the images would remain private, if the intent is to inflict emotional distress and if the victim suffers distress.

The committee also heard a second revenge-porn measure, House Bill 2257.