Revenge Porn Outlawed in California in Wake of 'Sextortion' Case Involving Riverside County Man

Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill Tuesday Oct. 1 to outlaw publishing revenge porn online in California, according to his staff.

The new law comes on the heels of the Sept. 26 arrest of a Riverside County man accused of using malicious software and tools to disguise his identity and take nude photos or videos of young women through remote operation of their webcams, without their consent.

The FBI first learned of the alleged "sextortion" activity from an 18-year-old woman, identified in a complaint by the initials, "C.W."

The woman C.W. is Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf, now 19, a Great Oak High School graduate, who was crowned Miss Teen USA Aug. 10 and vowed to spread awareness of cyber crime.

Jared James Abrahams, 19, of Temecula, was arrested last Thursday after surrendering to FBI agents in Orange County, according to the FBI. He was released Thursday afternoon on $50,000 bond and he is subject to pretrial supervision and home detention with electronic monitoring.

Senate Bill 255 (SB 255) makes posting graphic or naked images taken at one time with a mutual understanding they will remain private but later sharing said images online "with the intent to cause serious emotional distress" an invasion of privacy and illegal act equivalent to disorderly conduct.

The law was made effective immediately after Brown signed the bill Tuesday. Violating the law is considered an invasion of privacy and being found guilty can mean up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

The bill was sponsored by State Senator Anthony Cannella, whose 12th District includes communities in Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, San Benito and Monterey counties.

"Revenge porn often begins when relationships end," a statement released by Cannella's office Tuesday said. "But what were once private photos taken with consent can later be shared with others, and then posted online at multiple sites without the subject’s knowledge or consent. Some websites even specialize in posting such materials, and charge the subjects unreasonable fees to take down the illicit photos."

The American Civil Liberties Union opposes the bill's attempt to restrict online activity, according to the Sacramento Bee.