Nassau Legislators Propose Anti-Revenge Porn Law

Nassau County lawmakers and law enforcers joined together on Tuesday to announce a new bill that would make "revenge porn" illegal in the county.

Revenge porn is the term used to refer to when sexually explicit images are distributed to injure a person after a breakup, or simply to cause them harm. Revenge porn can take physical, emotional, mental and financial tolls on its victims.

Nassau County legislators Arnold Drucker and Debra Mulé, both Democrats, co-sponsored the bill after months of research and reaching out to victims, they said. The law, if enacted, would make publishing revenge porn an unclassified misdemeanor that could be punished by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

“As a social worker and mother of young adult daughters, I am keenly aware of the havoc that is unleashed when intimate images are maliciously distributed,” Mulé said. “Enacting a revenge-porn ban will empower Nassau County to immediately protect residents from this horrific invasion of privacy and ensure those who engage in this disturbing practice face meaningful consequences.”

Current New York state laws do not have specific legal remedies for the victims of revenge porn. The Nassau County bill could change that.

Drucker and Mulé were joined by Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas and Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder at a press conference Tuesday announcing the bill.

“Domestic violence cases involve power, control and manipulation, and abusers regularly use revenge pornography to target their intimate partners,” said Singas. “As prosecutors, we frequently work with survivors who are being threatened with having their pictures sent to their job, family or posted on social media. Unfortunately, New York does not have any criminal statute that adequately addresses revenge pornography.”

Photo courtesy Arnold Drucker's office