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END REVENGE PORN

Maryland Announces Anti-Revenge Porn Bill

MIAMI- (Oct. 30, 2013)- The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI) and its campaign, End Revenge Porn, are pleased to report that Maryland has proposed legislation to criminalize revenge porn. The bill, introduced by Delegate Jon S. Cardin on Wednesday, would classify revenge porn as a felony, punishable up to five years in prison or a $25,000 fine, or both. Cardin worked with CCRI board members Professor Danielle Citron and Dr. Mary Anne Franks to draft the law. Citron, professor of law at the University of Maryland, stated, This bill is a huge step forward for the protection of privacy, especially for individuals who consensually shared personal photos during a relationship of trust and whose trust was breached. Criminal law should have a role in deterring and punishing revenge porn because revenge porn and its ilk raise the risk of offline stalking and physical attack. Fear can be profound. Victims don't feel safe leaving their homes. Franks, an associate professor of law at the University of Miami, has also worked with lawmakers in New York and Wisconsin on their recently proposed legislation. According to Franks, This bill is a very important step in the right direction, offering far more comprehensive protection to victims than Californias law. CCRI Victim Advocate Annmarie Chiarini has worked tirelessly to advocate on behalf of victims in her state. "I am very pleased that legislators are taking this issue seriously, and I am optimistic that the Maryland house and senate committees will see the bill fit to be passed into law," Chiarini said. Maryland is the latest state to introduce legislation to combat revenge porn. Until recently, New Jersey was the only state to criminalize revenge porn. After the passage of a California law to criminalize some revenge porn, New York and Wisconsin introduced legislation. Dr. Holly Jacobs, founder of CCRI, responded to the recent announcements, Our movement is gaining momentum, and every law that is announced allows more victims to feel safe coming forward. Our country is only beginning to recognize the scope of this problem, but we believe America is headed in the right direction. These laws will offer protection to those who have had no recourse until now.
The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative is an organization founded by Dr. Holly Jacobs that aims to bring awareness to and reduce the occurrence of harassment on the Internet. Our first campaign is End Revenge Porn, which sheds light on the issue of revenge porn (and other forms of non-consensual pornography) and advocates for state and federal laws to criminalize it. For more information regarding CCRI please contact Natalie Webb at natalie@cybercivilrights.org. For legislative information contact Mary Anne Franks at mafranks@law.miami.edu. For victim outreach contact Anisha Vora at anisha@endrevengeporn.org. Annmarie Chiarini may be contacted at annmarie@cybercivilrights.org. EndRevengePorn.org w CyberCivilRights.org