Revenge Porn Laws: California Prosecutors Gain More Power To Deal With Cases

Prosecutors in California will now be able to seek the forfeiture of images and any devices storing data used in revenge porn cases, according to the Los Angeles Times. California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a measure late Wednesday that will help prosecutors in cases where former or estranged spouses or romantic partners post sexually explicit images online in order to embarrass or threaten their ex-lover.

Government officials and online companies have struggled with how best to deal with revenge porn cases, which have also been described as cyber-rape and nonconsensual pornography. Cases tend to be fast moving, and there is a trail of defunct online sites dedicated to revenge porn, such as the infamous IsAnyoneUp.com.

Half of the states in the U.S. have some sort of law attempting to deal with cases of revenge porn. “There are so many people who do this,” attorney Carrie Goldberg told International Business Times earlier this year. “We think of this in classic form as something an ex does to get revenge after a relationship goes sour, but that's not always the scenario. Some people don’t even know the victim, as in hacking cases.”

California Attorney General Kamala Harris has been spearheading the state’s efforts to combat cases of revenge porn. In April, Harris announced that Kevin Christopher Bollaert was sentenced to 18 years in prison for operating a website that posted sexually explicit images without an individual’s consent. The case was the first criminal prosecution of a website operator in the U.S.

“Sitting behind a computer, committing what is essentially a cowardly and criminal act will not shield predators from the law or jail,” said Harris in a statement. “We will continue to be vigilant and investigate and prosecute those who commit these deplorable acts.”

The California measure signed Wednesday was SB 676, put forward by Sen. Anthony Cannella, a Republican representing Ceres.