PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The Rhode Island House of Representatives has passed legislation that would prohibit a malicious practice known as “revenge porn.”
Attorney General Peter Kilmartin announced Wednesday that lawmakers approved the bill.
The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Robert Craven, a North Kingstown Democrat.
It would prohibit the posting of naked pictures on a website without the permission of the person in the photos. The images are often posted by ex-spouses, former partners or extortionists demanding ransoms to remove the photos.
A person convicted of revenge porn would face up to a year in prison. Second and subsequent convictions would be felonies punishable by up to three years behind bars. Extortion involving sexually explicit images would result in up to five years in prison.
The Senate passed a companion bill in May.
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