State Rep. John Spiros, R-Marshfield, began circulating a “sexting” bill for co-sponsorship among fellow legislators last week and has received bipartisan support.
The Individual Privacy Protection Act, the official name of the bill, seeks to make the non-consensual spreading of suggestive photos online illegal.
The proposal comes after a number of incidents of cyber bullying, which lead to situations where people “have been forced to move, change their names, and, in some tragic cases, even committed suicide,” according to Spiros in a statement.
The representative also referred to the effects of technological change, saying the bill was “pertinent to protect a generation who are a point and click away from having their private moments made public.”
The draft is scheduled to be introduced later this month and be heard on the floor later in the fall session, according to the release.
“Posting these images is not a victimless crime,” Spiros said in the statement. “These individuals deserve to have a legal system that protects them.”
