Story highlights
California has passed a new law making "revenge porn" illegal
The law does not apply to self-shot photos that are shared during a relationship
Critics say the law does not go far enough to protect victims
Wisconsin and New York are also considering anti-revenge porn laws
For many victims, California’s new “revenge porn” law doesn’t go far enough.
Revenge porn, also called cyber revenge, is the act of posting sexual photos of an ex-lover online for vengeance. The photos were typically exchanged consensually over the course of a relationship and meant only for the other person.
There are websites dedicated to posting and making money off of these types of shots, which are primarily of women.
The new California law, which was signed into law on Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown, is only the second revenge porn-specific piece of legislation in the United States. Under the law, people convicted of distributing sexual images of exes face six months of jail time and a $1,000 fine.