Senator Susan Rubio Introduces Bill Protecting Victims of Revenge Porn

SACRAMENTO, CA – Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) on Monday introduced her first bill of the 2021-22 legislative cycle, continuing her uphill battle to strengthen protections for victims by allowing survivors of revenge porn additional time to report this type of abuse.

Senate Bill 23 extends the statute of limitations for victims who discover their private, intimate images have been publicly released without their consent.  The bill gives victims up to a year after discovery to seek charges against the perpetrators.

“Perpetrators of domestic violence sometimes use the release of private, intimate images as another tool of coercive control,” Sen. Rubio said. “It’s an attempt to shame and intimidate the victim, with the plan to provoke long-lasting trauma in their personal and professional lives. This bill will give victims, who often don’t find out until much later that the images have been released, more time to seek justice.”

“Revenge porn has devastating and long-lasting impacts on victims’ lives,” said Vern Pierson, El Dorado County District Attorney and President of the California District Attorneys Association. “This bill’s changes to the statute of limitations will give victims of revenge porn a more accessible path to justice.”

“Image-based sexual abuse is an invasive and increasingly common crime, which involves nonconsensual posting of private or intimate photos or videos. We must ensure that California law can protect victims of this horrible crime,” said Nancy O’Malley, Alameda County District Attorney. “I want to thank Senator Rubio for authoring this important piece of legislation.”

Since joining the California Legislature, Sen. Rubio has championed legislation expanding protections for victims of domestic violence, including the groundbreaking SB 1141 to finally recognize “coercive control” as abuse; SB 316 to give students easy access to the National Domestic Violence hotline; and SB 273, The Phoenix Act, to allow survivors more time to heal from trauma and report abuse.

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For media inquiries, contact Edward Barrera at edward.barrera@sen.ca.gov