MADISON — The Wisconsin Assembly this evening passed legislation that would target those who post "revenge porn" photographs.
Under AB 462, anyone who disseminates a nude picture without the subject’s consent, regardless of whether the subject granted consent to capture the image, would be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to $10,000 in fines and nine months in jail.
Wisconsin's revenge porn bill doesn't apply to those who consent to the distribution of photographs for commercial purposes.
The Assembly, passing the bill on a voice vote today, moved the piece of legislation to the state Senate. The Legislature's term ends this week.
Revenge porn is a recent phenomenon and online category where website operators post nude or erotic images of women or men without their consent. Some revenge porn sites include actual email addresses, cellphone numbers, links to Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn profiles, and residential addresses displayed for all to see.
New Jersey and California have already implemented new laws over acts of revenge porn on the Internet. And legislators in Maryland and New York have proposed similar bills.