New York Makes Revenge Porn A Misdemeanor

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York is catching up to most other states by criminalizing revenge porn.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, signed legislation Tuesday making it a misdemeanor to distribute intimate photos of another person without their consent. Violators will face up to a year in jail.

The new law, which takes effect in 60 days, also will permit victims to sue the person who distributed their photos and seek a court order to have online images taken down.

Debated for years, the bill had been held up over concerns that internet companies could be held legally responsible for inadvertently allowing revenge porn photos online.

The legislation's Senate sponsor, Democrat Monica Martinez of Long Island, says the new law addresses what she calls a "particularly heinous" kind of offense.