A Texas woman is
suing Facebook for $123 million dollars. Allegedly, the social
media company failed to take down a fake profile that was created
with the intent to publicly humiliate her. The woman, Meryem Ali,
claims that the profile displayed her name alongside photos of her
face photoshopped onto pornographic images.
Earlier this year, Reason TV investigated the question of
whether revenge porn should be criminalized. Originally published
on April 15, 2014. Initial text below:
Revenge porn is defined as the dissemination of
sexually explicit images of an ex-lover without their permission.
It can often be emotionally devastating and have lasting effects on
a person’s reputation and employability.
That’s exactly what Nicole Coon, a 25-year-old Virginia
nursing student, experienced last November when she found a
sexually explicit video of herself on the Internet. Coon had filmed
and sent the video to her boyfriend of 8 years; however, once the
relationship went sour he allegedly posted the video online. The
website where he allegedly posted advertises as a platform for
revenge porn.
Coon’s sexuality – intended only for the eyes of her partner – was
now being seen by family, friends, and potential
employers.
The nursing student fears for her future employment
opportunities.
Virginia Delegate Marcus Simon (D-Falls Church) wants to deter this
behavior in his state. He introduced House Bill 49 last December
that would make revenge porn a state crime. Since then his bill has
been incorporated into Delegate Robert Bell’s (R-Charlottesville)
House Bill 326. Bell’s legislation overwhelmingly passed both
chambers and was signed by Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in
March.
The legislation will go into effect this July and makes it unlawful
for “any person who, with the intent to coerce, harass, or
intimidate, maliciously disseminates or sells” an image which
depicts another person in a “state of undress” where “such person
knows or has reason to know that he is not licensed or authorized”
to disseminate. The new law classifies any violation as a Class 1
misdemeanor, punishable by a fine and up to a year in jail.
Virginia, Utah, and Idaho have all enacted legislation this year
criminalizing revenge porn; they join New Jersey and California
which were the first states to do so. Nineteen other states have
proposed similar legislation.
While most people sympathize with the victims, some fear
criminalizing this behavior will have dire consequences on
constitutionally protected free speech.
“The Supreme Court’s position, rightly, is that all speech is by
default protected by the First Amendment,” says Lee Rowland of the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
About 6 minutes.
Produced by Amanda Winkler. Camera by Joshua Swain, Jim Epstein,
and Winkler. Narrated by Alexis Garcia.
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