2017 -- S 0401

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LC000773

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES - ELECTRONIC IMAGING DEVICES

     

     Introduced By: Senators Lynch Prata, Lombardi, Jabour, and Doyle

     Date Introduced: March 02, 2017

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

     (Attorney General)

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 sexual intercourse where the genitals, or pubic area of any person is

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exhibited;

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     (ii) Bestiality;

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     (iii) Masturbation; or

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     (iv) Sadistic or masochistic abuse.

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     (h) "Visual image" means any photograph, 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:

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     (1) The person captures, records, stores, or receives a visual image depicting another

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person eighteen (18) years of age or older engaged in sexually explicit conduct or of the intimate

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areas of that person;

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     (2) The visual image is captured, recorded, stored, or received with or without that

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person's knowledge or consent and under such circumstances in which a reasonable person would

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know or understand that the image was to remain private; and

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     (3) The person intentionally, by any means, disseminates, publishes, or sells such visual

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image without the affirmative consent of the depicted person or persons in the visual image for no

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legitimate purpose.

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     (b) A third-party recipient of any visual image described in subsection (a) of this section

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shall not be charged under this section if they did not have actual knowledge that the visual image

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was intentionally disseminated, published, or sold in violation of this subsection (a) of this

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section.

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

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

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person intended to be protected from public view.

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

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requirements set forth in §11-37.1-1 et seq., (Sexual Offender Registration and Community

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Notification Act).

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

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

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lawful 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 public or commercial settings 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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     (i) Nothing in this section shall be construed to impose liability on an 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(24) or a telecommunications service, as defined in §44-18-7.1, for content provided

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by another person.

 

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     (j) A violation of this section is committed within this state if any conduct that is an

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

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within this state.

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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 OFFENSES - ELECTRONIC IMAGING DEVICES

***

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     This act prohibits a person from electronically disseminating visual images of another

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engaged in sexually explicit conduct or the intimate parts of another, under such circumstances in

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which a reasonable person would know or understand that the image was to remain private and

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without the depicted person's affirmative consent. First violations would be a misdemeanor and,

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upon conviction, subject to imprisonment of not more than one year, a fine of not more than one

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thousand dollars ($1,000), or both. Second or subsequent violations would be a felony and, upon

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

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three thousand dollars ($3,000), or both.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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