The bill amends Chapter 11-64 of the General Laws titled "Electronic Imaging Devices" by updating definitions and penalties related to the unauthorized dissemination of indecent material. New definitions include "minor" as a person under eighteen years of age and "serious bodily injury" as an injury posing a substantial risk of death or causing serious permanent disfigurement or impairment. The bill specifies that a person is guilty of unauthorized dissemination if they intentionally share a sexually explicit visual image of an identifiable person without consent, with knowledge or reckless disregard that the depicted person will suffer harm, or with the intent to harass or intimidate.
The bill also outlines circumstances where the law does not apply, such as images involving voluntary exposure in public settings or dissemination for public interest or law enforcement purposes. Penalties for a first violation include a misdemeanor charge, while subsequent violations are felonies. The bill introduces enhanced penalties for offenses involving minors, authority figures, or resulting in serious bodily injury or death, with imprisonment up to an additional five years and fines up to five thousand dollars. It clarifies that violators are not subject to sex offender registration and exempts certain service providers from liability for content provided by others. The act would take effect upon passage, and it aims to provide up to six years imprisonment for offenses involving minors or authority figures, and up to ten years for offenses resulting in serious bodily injury or death.