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Revenge porn is when one person shares sexually explicit images and/ or videos of their former intimate partner, typically on the Internet, without their consent. Their motive is to embarrass the former partner, which can lead to further distress. If you keep up with celebrity gossip, this is exactly what Rob Kardashian did recently against his former wife and the mother of his young child, Blac Chyna. In California, it first became a law just a handful of years ago in 2013, and since then there have been changes and updates. It is a crime many people are becoming increasingly familiar with.
California’s revenge porn crime is related to the crime of invasion of privacy. When one person secretly records sexually explicit photos and videos of another person without their consent that is invasion of privacy. With revenge porn, it is when the person initially knows about and consents to having images and videos taken of them with the understanding that they would be kept private. However, the person who took this content disregards this and distributes them to the public to view anyway to bring shame and embarrassment to the victim. That is when it becomes revenge porn.
There are other unfortunate consequences that the victim can suffer from having their images shared without consent, especially if they are a young adult applying for school and jobs, not to mention their overall reputation.
Revenge porn is punishable by a misdemeanor. For a first offense, the defendant faces up to 6 months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Repeat offenders face up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. Additionally, if the victim was a minor, the defendant also faces a year in jail and a $2,000 fine, as well as charges for child pornography.