Publishing revenge porn is now officially a crime in South Carolina.
State legislators joined Gov. Henry McMaster in his office Thursday to commend a new law criminalizing the posting of intimate or nude photos without a person’s consent, commonly known as “revenge porn.”
Under the new law, it is also a crime to share intimate images generated by artificial intelligence without the consent of the person depicted.
“I want to continue to protect not just our daughters and wives, but our sons too,” said the bill’s lead sponsor, state Rep. Chris Wooten, R–Lexington.
It is now a felony for anyone who shares intimate images with the intent to cause harm to the person depicted.
A first offense carries a maximum fine of $5,000 and up to five years in prison. A second or following offense carries a maximum fine of $10,000 and a prison sentence of one to 10 years.
There are also penalties for individuals who share intimate images without intending to harm the person depicted.
In that case, a first offense is a misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum fine of $5,000 and up to one year in prison, while a second offense is a felony.
The second offense is punishable by a maximum fine of $5,000 and up to five years in prison.
“When you share an intimate picture of someone without their consent, either to cause them harm or not, … it is a crime in South Carolina,” McMaster said.
South Carolina is the last state in the U.S. to pass laws criminalizing “revenge porn.”
Two years ago, McMaster signed into law a bill that criminalizes sexual extortion. That is when someone threatens to release private images of another person in order to blackmail them into performing certain acts.
That law was inspired by York Republican Rep. Brandon Guffey’s son, who died by suicide after a sexual extortion scheme.
Officials say they are ready to crack down on violators of the new law.
“We want to let bad actors know that law enforcement, our solicitors, they are looking for you. If you choose to do bad acts here in South Carolina, you will not get away with it,” said Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette.
The new law took effect May 12.
