HARRISBURG, P.A. (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania House unanimously passed a bill that would prohibit the sharing of intimate images without permission, and would also increase penalties for secretly sharing images of a family member.
State Rep. Emily Kinkead is the prime sponsor and said the motivation for the bill was a woman whose ex-husband was sharing intimate images of her online, but law enforcement could do little to punish the man.
“These images and the way that he was sharing them did not fall into what our statutes covered, and so there was nothing that they could do to help her,” said Kinkead.
The bill would change the law to include images of anyone, removing a requirement that it is a former romantic partner. It would also cover AI-generated images and would expand intent to cover any known distribution without consent, instead of being limited to intent to harass or annoy.
It was amended to include a sentencing enhancement if a child depicted is a relative of the person who sent the child sex abuse material (CSAM). Republican Clint Owlett called it digital human trafficking, and noted that many CSAM images are captured and distributed by relatives.
“Technology has changed, and perpetrators operate at a different level, and our law enforcement must keep up,” said Owlett.
The bill now heads to the Senate.
The legislation also increases penalties for those who share images of family members.
The legislation also increases penalties for those who share images of family members.
