Jon Offredo

The News Journal

Delaware could make it a crime to disseminate 'revenge porn' should a piece of legislation make it through the General Assembly when session returns next week.

Rep. Andria Bennett, D-Dover, filed legislation earlier this month that would make it a crime to disseminate video or photos of a person who is naked or engaged in sexual acts without his or her consent.

"In today's world of social media and digital communication, it has become very easy to share information with many people in a short amount of time," Bennett said in a release. "As a result of that, this type of behavior has become more and more common — and more and more hurtful to the victims."

One in 10 ex-partners threatens to circulate intimate photos online, and 60 percent follow through on the threat. Ninety percent of victims are women, according to the advocacy group End Revenge Porn.

The trend has raised major privacy concerns with more than half of victims having reported that personal information was posted with photos or videos and nearly half of all victims saying they've been harassed or stalked online by people who saw the material, according to the advocacy group.

The legislation introduced by Bennett expands the existing crime of violation of privacy to include revenge porn or intimate partner harassment.

"This isn't like the days where an embarrassing photo is passed around a class of 30. These intimate photos and videos are posted online and shared around the world – sometimes even with the victim's name and personal information included," Bennett said in the release. "This is the sort of thing that may have seemed harmless before the days of Facebook and Twitter, but which is now capable of severely harming a victim's quality of life."

Anyone who circulates revenge porn would be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor, which could be increased further to a Class G felony if the material was originally obtained without the victim's consent, distributed for profit, or includes identifying information.

The Pennsylvania State Senate passed similar legislation earlier this year. New Jersey and California have enacted similar legislation and the Illinois and Virginia state legislatures are exploring similar measures.

Contact Jon Offredo at 302-678-4271, on Twitter @jonoffredo or at joffredo@delawareonline.com