Politics & Government

Spurned Lovers, Take Note: IL May Ban Revenge Porn

Rep. Scott Drury has proposed legislation that would make posting explicit photos of someone without their consent a felony sex crime.

An angry ex can be an unpleasant thing. An angry ex with naked photos of you who isn’t afraid to post them online is terrifying.

That’s the concept behind “revenge porn.” And it’s what Rep. Scott Drury (D-Highwood) is hoping to outlaw in Illinois with a bill he introduced this week.

“This is behavior that isn’t going to be tolerated,” he said.

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Under the bill, any non-consensual dissemination of sexually explicit materials would become a felony, classified as a sex crime. Consequences would be more severe if the victim is a minor or disabled.

Drury said he was motivated not by any specific incident, but as a father of two young kids who are connected to the Internet all the time. He hopes this bill will protect children, as well as woman, who make up the vast majority of revenge porn victims.

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Only two other states, California and New Jersey, currently have laws banning revenge porn. Drury said his bill goes beyond those in terms of labeling the offense a sex crime. The bill also allows for the forfeiture of any profits made from the photos, which is a way of targeting for-profit sites that post them.

Last week, Hunter Moore, dubbed the “revenge porn king” was indicted by the FBI for allegedly hacking into computers to retrieve nude photos. Moore’s now defunct site, IsAnyoneUp, encouraged angry exes to post revenge porn.

What do you think? Does Illinois need a law banning revenge porn?


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