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Advocates in Maryland are working to make distributing
explicit photos and videos of other people illegal without written
consent. The law is purposed to curb the practice known as “revenge porn”. Thousands of
women find every year that private pictures of them are displayed throughout
the Internet by way of angry ex romantic partners. Many of them even find profiles on
pornographic websites that contain personal information, include their full
names and addresses.
Currently, only Florida and California have laws against revenge
porn. Critics say that it is a violation of free speech, and express concerns
that it would create a liability issue for journalists that sometimes publish
explicit pictures for news reasons. The
Maryland law would include an exception for journalism.
Dr. Holly Jacobs was a victim of revenge porn for three and a half years. During
those years, the police and FBI continuously refused to file criminal charges
against her ex on the grounds that there were technically no laws against what
he was doing. After her ex’s targeted behavior forced her to change jobs, go
through several email addresses, legally change her name, deactivate all of her
social media accounts, cancel her attendance to professional meetings, and
restrict her from publishing in her field, she became an advocate against the
practice.
Jacobs is the founder of
EndRevengePorn.com and says that victims of revenger porn are often
blamed. The general attitude and the way
the law is written right now is a “blame the victim mentality”.
Civil rights groups such as the ACLU
and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have hesitated to take an official
position on the legality of revenge porn.
While the behavior is condemning, there is little indication that the
laws
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