2018 -- S 2581

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LC004936

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

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A N   A C T

     RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSE - ELECTRONIC IMAGING DEVICES

     

     Introduced By: Senators Lynch Prata, Goodwin, McCaffrey, Gallo, and Conley

     Date Introduced: March 01, 2018

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

     (Governor)

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 11-64-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-64 entitled "Electronic

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Imaging Devices" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     11-64-1. Definitions.

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     (1) For the purposes of this section the following definitions apply:

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     (a) "Disseminate" means to make available by any means to any person.

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     (b) "Imaging device" means any electronic instrument capable of capturing, recording,

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storing or transmitting visual images.

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     (c) "Intimate areas" means the naked or undergarment clad genitals, pubic area, buttocks,

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or any portion of the female breast below the top of the areola of a person which the person

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intended to be protected from public view.

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     (d) "Legal entity" means any partnership, firm, association, corporation or any agent or

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servant thereof.

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     (e) "Publish" means to:

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     (i) Disseminate with the intent that such image or images be made available by any

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means to any person or other legal entity;

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     (ii) Disseminate with the intent such images be sold by another person or legal entity;

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     (iii) Post, present, display, exhibit, circulate, advertise or allow access by any means, so

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as to make an image or images available to the public; or

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     (iv) Disseminate with the intent that an image or images be posted, presented, displayed,

 

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exhibited, circulated, advertised or made accessible by any means, and to make such images

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available to the public.

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     (f) "Sell" means to disseminate to another person, or to publish, in exchange for

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something of value.

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     (g) "Sexually explicit conduct" means actual:

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     (i) Graphic sexual intercourse, including genital-genital; oral-genital, anal-genital, or

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oral-anal, or lascivious sex where the genitals, or pubic area of any person is exhibited;

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     (ii) Bestiality;

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     (iii) Masturbation; or

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     (iv) Sadistic or masochistic abuse in a sexual context.

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     (h) "Visual image" means any photographic, picture, film, videotape, digital recording, or

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other depiction, portrayal or representation of an object, including the human body.

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     SECTION 2. Chapter 11-64 of the General Laws entitled "Electronic Imaging Devices"

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is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

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     11-64-3. Unauthorized dissemination of indecent material.

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     (a) A person is guilty of unauthorized dissemination of indecent material when the

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person:

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     (1) Purposely, and with the intent to harass, intimidate, threaten, or coerce the depicted

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person, disseminates, publishes or sells a visual image of such person who is:

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     (i) Eighteen (18) years of age or older and is identifiable from the image itself or the

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information displayed or depicted in connection with the image; and

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     (ii) Engaged in a sexual act or whose intimate parts are exposed, in whole or in part; and

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     (2) Obtains the image under circumstances in which a reasonable person would know or

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should have known that the person in the image intended that the image was to remain private;

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and

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     (3) Knows or should have known that the person in the image did not consent to the

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dissemination.

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     (b) For purposes of this section, "intimate areas" means the naked genitals, pubic area,

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anus or any portion of the female breast below the top of the areola which the person intended to

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be protected from public view.

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     (c) A first violation of this section shall be a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, subject

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to imprisonment of not more than one year, a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000),

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or both. A second or subsequent violation of this section shall be a felony and, upon conviction,

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subject to imprisonment for not more than three (3) years, a fine of not more than three thousand

 

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dollars ($3,000), or both.

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     (d) Any person who intentionally threatens to disclose any visual image described in

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subsection (a) of this section, and makes the threat to obtain a benefit in return for not making the

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disclosure or in connection with the threatened disclosure shall be guilty of a felony and, upon

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conviction, be subject to imprisonment for up to five (5) years, a fine of up to five thousand

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dollars ($5,000), or both.

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     (e) Any person who demands payment of money, property, services or anything else of

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value from a person in exchange for removing any visual image described in subsection (a) of this

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section from public view shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, be subject to

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imprisonment for up to five (5) years, a fine of up to five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both.

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     (f) Those in violation of this section shall not be subject to sex offender registration

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requirements set forth in chapter 31.1 of title 11 (sexual offender registration and community

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notification act.)

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     (g) The following activities are exempt from the provisions of this section:

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     (1) The unauthorized dissemination of material when the dissemination serves a lawful

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purpose;

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     (2) The unauthorized dissemination of indecent material when the dissemination is made

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in the course of a lawful public proceeding;

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     (3) The unauthorized dissemination of indecent material when the dissemination involves

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voluntary nudity or sexual conduct in a public or commercial setting, or in a place where a person

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does not have a reasonable expectation of privacy;

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     (4) The unauthorized dissemination of indecent material when the dissemination is made

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in the public interest, including the reporting of unlawful conduct, or lawful and common practice

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of law enforcement, criminal reporting, corrections, legal proceedings, medical activities,

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scientific activities, or educational activities;

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     (5) The unauthorized dissemination of indecent material when the dissemination

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constitutes a matter of public concern;

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     (h) A violation of this section shall be deemed committed in this state if any conduct that

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is an element of the offense, or any harm to the depicted person resulting from the offense, occurs

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in this state.

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     (i) Nothing in this section shall be construed to impose liability on any interactive

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computer service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. § 230(f)(2), an information service, as defined in 47

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U.S.C. § 153, or a telecommunications service, as defined in § 44-18-7.1, for content provided by

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another person.

 

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     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

     RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSE - ELECTRONIC IMAGING DEVICES

***

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     This act would define sexually explicit conduct and visual image and would prohibit any

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person from disseminating any indecent image of another person without authorization for the

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purpose of harassing, intimidating, threatening another person if that person is eighteen (18) years

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of age or older and is identifiable from the image. Exceptions would include dissemination for

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lawful purposes, legal proceedings, medical or educational activities. Violation of this section

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would be a misdemeanor for a first offense and a felony for subsequent offenses. It would also

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make demanding payment for not disclosing or refusing to remove the image from public view a

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felony.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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