New Georgia law bans 'revenge porn' online
ATLANTA - Starting July 1, a new Georgia law explicitly banned the posting of "revenge porn" online.
The law makes it a misdemeanor for someone to post explicit images or videos of anyone online without their consent in order to harass the victim. The crime, however, is classified as a felony if the offender posts the material on a website, message board, or file-sharing site that promotes itself as an adult site.
"Because this goes out to the whole world, quite frankly, and it's much different," explained state Sen. Harold Jones, D-Augusta, the law's primary sponsor.
Anyone convicted of felony revenge porn can be sentenced to one to five years in jail, and up to a $100,000 fine, or both. A second misdemeanor conviction carries the same sentence.
"That's one of the things we want to do is try to deter because it has such an impact onto a person's life," said Sen. Jones.
Sen. Jones also sponsored a 2019 law that made it illegal to coerce someone into sending nude or explicit photos. He said he keeps an eye on how other states deal with these types of crimes to make sure Georgia's laws are up to date.
"Trying to keep up with the technology and make sure that we're keeping up the same way criminals are also keeping up with it to keep Georgians safe," said Sen. Jones.
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