H-1980.2
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1272
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State of Washington | 64th Legislature | 2015 Regular Session |
By House Public Safety (originally sponsored by Representatives Buys, Orwall, and Pollet)
READ FIRST TIME 02/20/15.
AN ACT Relating to the wrongful distribution of intimate images; adding a new section to chapter
9A.44 RCW; and prescribing penalties.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 9A.44 RCW to read as follows:
(1) A person commits the crime of disclosing intimate images when the person knowingly discloses an intimate image of another person and the person disclosing the image:
(a) Obtained it under circumstances in which a reasonable person would know or understand that the image was to remain private; and
(b) Knows or should have known that the depicted person has not consented to the disclosure.
(2) A person who is under the age of eighteen is not guilty of the crime of disclosing intimate images unless the person:
(a) Intentionally and maliciously disclosed an intimate image of another person;
(b) Obtained it under circumstances in which a reasonable person would know or understand that the image was to remain private; and
(c) Knows or should have known that the depicted person has not consented to the disclosure.
(3) This section does not apply to:
(a) Images involving voluntary exposure in public or commercial settings; or
(b) Disclosures made in the public interest including, but not limited to, the reporting of unlawful conduct, or the lawful and common practices of law enforcement, criminal reporting, legal proceedings, or medical treatment.
(4) This section does not impose liability upon the following entities solely as a result of content provided by another person:
(a) An interactive computer service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. Sec. 230(f)(2);
(b) A provider of public or private mobile service, as defined in section 13-214 of the public utilities act; or
(c) A telecommunications network or broadband provider.
(5) For purposes of this section:
(a) "Disclosing" includes transferring, publishing, disseminating, or making a digital depiction available for distribution or downloading through the facilities of a telecommunications network or through any other means of transferring computer programs or data to a computer;
(b) "Intimate image" means any photograph, motion picture film, videotape, digital image, or any other recording or transmission of another person who is identifiable from the image itself or from information displayed with or otherwise connected to the image, and that was taken in a private setting, is not a matter of public concern, and depicts:
(i) Any act of sexual contact between persons involving the sex organs of one person and the mouth or anus of another whether the persons are of the same or opposite sex;
(ii) A person's intimate body parts, whether nude or visible through less than opaque clothing, including the genitals, pubic area, buttocks, anus, or female adult nipple; or
(iii) Touching of any person's intimate body parts done for the purpose of gratifying sexual desire.
(6) The crime of disclosing intimate images is a class C felony.
(7) Nothing in this section is construed to:
(a) Alter or negate any rights, obligations, or immunities of an interactive service provider under 47 U.S.C. Sec. 230; or
(b) Limit or preclude a plaintiff from securing or recovering any other available remedy.
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