Georgia Senate Passes ‘Revenge Sexting’ Bill

By a unanimous vote, the Georgia Senate approved what is known as the revenge sexting bill. The bill prohibits someone from texting, sending or posting sexually explicit photography or video as a means of retaliation.

Under the bill, violators would face a misdemeanor charge for the first instance. But if a person is found guilty a second time, they would face felony charges and could receive a punishment of between 1 to 5 years in jail and a $100,000 fine. Senator Renee Unterman spoke in favor of the legislation.

“I think it’s a good thing. I think it sends a message that we shouldn’t be treating each other that way. Approximately 15 states have already criminalized that type of behavior.”

The approval comes after the Georgia Supreme Court threw out criminal charges against a man named Charles Leo Warren, III who sent an unsolicited text message of his genitals. The Court determined a law from 1970, which dealt with sending explicit material through the mail, did not apply to the text message sent by Warren.