Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB663 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3		EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXIS TING LAW.
4	4		[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5		hb0663
6	6
7	7		HOUSE BILL 663
8	8		D3 5lr2381
9	9		HB 1062/24 – JUD
10	10		By: Delegates Lopez, Allen, and Kaufman
11	11		Introduced and read first time: January 24, 2025
12	12		Assigned to: Judiciary
13	13
14	14		A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16		AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18		Civil Actions – Sexual Deepfake Representations and Revenge Porn 2
19	19
20	20		FOR the purpose of authorizing a person to bring and maintain a civil action for defamation 3
21	21		against another person who distributes a computer–generated visual representation 4
22	22		that is indistinguishable from an actual visual representation of the person and 5
23	23		falsely depicts the person with his or her intimate parts exposed or engaged in sexual 6
24	24		activity; clarifying what constitutes a visual representation for a certain prohibition 7
25	25		against distributing a certain visual representation in a certain manner; authorizing 8
26	26		an individual to bring a civil action for revenge porn; and generally relating to 9
27	27		deepfake representations, defamation, and revenge porn. 10
28	28
29	29		BY adding to 11
30	30		Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 12
31	31		Section 3–505 13
32	32		Annotated Code of Maryland 14
33	33		(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 15
34	34
35	35		BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 16
36	36		Article – Criminal Law 17
37	37		Section 3–809 18
38	38		Annotated Code of Maryland 19
39	39		(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 20
40	40
41	41		SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 21
42	42		That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 22
43	43
44	44		Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 23
45	45
46	46		3–505. 24
47	47		2 HOUSE BILL 663
48	48
49	49
50	50		(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANI NGS 1
51	51		INDICATED. 2
52	52
53	53		(2) “DISTRIBUTE” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 3–809 OF THE 3
54	54		CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE. 4
55	55
56	56		(3) (I) “INDISTINGUISHABLE FRO M AN ACTUAL VISUAL 5
57	57		REPRESENTATION OF TH E PERSON” MEANS THAT AN ORDINA RY PERSON WOULD 6
58	58		CONCLUDE THAT THE VI SUAL REPRESENTATION IS AN ACTUAL VISUAL 7
59	59		REPRESENTATION OF TH E PERSON. 8
60	60
61	61		(II) “INDISTINGUISHABLE FRO M AN ACTUAL VISUAL 9
62	62		REPRESENTATION OF TH E PERSON” INCLUDES A COMPUTER –GENERATED VISUAL 10
63	63		REPRESENTATION THAT HAS BEEN CREATED , ADAPTED, OR MODIFIED TO APPEA R 11
64	64		GENUINE. 12
65	65
66	66		(III) “INDISTINGUISHABLE FRO M AN ACTUAL VISUAL 13
67	67		REPRESENTATION OF TH E PERSON” DOES NOT INCLUDE IMA GES OR ITEMS 14
68	68		DEPICTING A PERSON T HAT ARE: 15
69	69
70	70		1. DRAWINGS; 16
71	71
72	72		2. CARTOONS; 17
73	73
74	74		3. SCULPTURES; OR 18
75	75
76	76		4. PAINTINGS. 19
77	77
78	78		(4) “INTIMATE PARTS ” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 3–809 OF THE 20
79	79		CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE. 21
80	80
81	81		(5) “SEXUAL ACTIVITY” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 3–809 OF THE 22
82	82		CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE. 23
83	83
84	84		(B) A PERSON MAY BRING AND MAINTAIN A CIVIL ACT ION FOR DEFAMATION 24
85	85		PER SE AGAINST ANOTH ER PERSON WHO DISTRIBUTES A COMPUTER –GENERATED 25
86	86		VISUAL REPRESENTATIO N THAT IS INDISTINGU ISHABLE FROM AN ACTU AL VISUAL 26
87	87		REPRESENTATION OF TH E PERSON AND FALSELY DEPICTS THE PERSON W ITH HIS OR 27
88	88		HER INTIMATE PARTS E XPOSED OR ENGAGED IN SEXUAL ACTIVITY . 28
89	89
90	90		(C) THE COURT MAY AWARD A PREVAILING PLAINTIFF IN AN ACTION UNDER 29
91	91		THIS SECTION: 30
92	92
93	93		(1) PUNITIVE DAMAGES ; 31 HOUSE BILL 663 3
94	94
95	95
96	96
97	97		(2) ATTORNEY’S FEES; AND 1
98	98
99	99		(3) INJUNCTIVE RELIEF FROM ALL PARTIES INVOLVED IN THE 2
100	100		VIOLATION OF THIS SE CTION. 3
101	101
102	102		Article – Criminal Law 4
103	103
104	104		3–809. 5
105	105
106	106		(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 6
107	107
108	108		(2) “Distribute” means to give, sell, transfer, disseminate, publish, upload, 7
109	109		circulate, broadcast, make available, allow access to, or engage in any other form of 8
110	110		transmission, electronic or otherwise. 9
111	111
112	112		(3) “Harm” means: 10
113	113
114	114		(i) physical injury; 11
115	115
116	116		(ii) serious emotional distress; or 12
117	117
118	118		(iii) economic damages. 13
119	119
120	120		(4) “Intimate parts” means the naked genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or 14
121	121		female nipple. 15
122	122
123	123		(5) “Sexual activity” means: 16
124	124
125	125		(i) sexual intercourse, including genital–genital, oral–genital, 17
126	126		anal–genital, or oral–anal; 18
127	127
128	128		(ii) masturbation; or 19
129	129
130	130		(iii) sadomasochistic abuse. 20
131	131
132	132		(6) “VISUAL REPRESENTATION ” INCLUDES A PHOTOGRAP H, A FILM, 21
133	133		A VIDEO, A DIGITAL IMAGE , A PICTURE, OR A COMPUTER –GENERATED IMAGE OR 22
134	134		PICTURE, WHETHER MADE OR PROD UCED BY ELECTRONIC , MECHANICAL , OR OTHER 23
135	135		MEANS. 24
136	136
137	137		(b) (1) This sections does not apply to: 25
138	138
139	139		(i) lawful and common practices of law enforcement, the reporting 26
140	140		of unlawful conduct, or legal proceedings; or 27
141	141		4 HOUSE BILL 663
142	142
143	143
144	144		(ii) situations involving voluntary exposure in public or commercial 1
145	145		settings. 2
146	146
147	147		(2) An interactive computer service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. § 230(f)(2), is 3
148	148		not liable under this section for content provided by another person. 4
149	149
150	150		(c) A person may not knowingly distribute a visual representation of another 5
151	151		identifiable person that displays the other person with his or her intimate parts exposed or 6
152	152		while engaged in an act of sexual activity: 7
153	153
154	154		(1) with the intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten, or coerce the 8
155	155		other person; 9
156	156
157	157		(2) (i) under circumstances in which the person knew that the other 10
158	158		person did not consent to the distribution; or 11
159	159
160	160		(ii) with reckless disregard as to whether the person consented to the 12
161	161		distribution; and 13
162	162
163	163		(3) under circumstances in which the other person had a reasonable 14
164	164		expectation that the image would remain private. 15
165	165
166	166		(d) A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction 16
167	167		is subject to imprisonment net exceeding 2 years or a fine not exceeding $5,000 or both. 17
168	168
169	169		(e) A person who violates this section is subject to § 5–106(b) of the Courts Article. 18
170	170
171	171		(f) (1) A PERSON WHOSE VISUAL REPRESE NTATION WAS DISTRIBU TED 19
172	172		IN VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION HAS A CIVIL CAUSE OF ACTION AGAI NST ANY PERSON 20
173	173		WHO DISTRIBUTED THE VISUAL REPRESENTATIO N. 21
174	174
175	175		(2) IN AN ACTION UNDER TH IS SUBSECTION, THE COURT MAY AWARD 22
176	176		ACTUAL DAMAGES AND R EASONABLE ATTORNEY’S FEES. 23
177	177
178	178		(G) A visual representation of a victim that is part of a court record for a case 24
179	179		arising [from a prosecution] under this section: 25
180	180
181	181		(1) subject to item (2) of this subsection, may not be made available for 26
182	182		public inspection; and 27
183	183
184	184		(2) except as otherwise ordered by the court, may only be made available 28
185	185		for inspection in relation to a criminal charge OR CIVIL ACTION under this section to: 29
186	186
187	187		(i) court personnel; 30
188	188
189	189		(ii) a jury in a criminal case brought under this section; 31 HOUSE BILL 663 5
190	190
191	191
192	192
193	193		(iii) the State’s Attorney or the State’s Attorney’s designee; 1
194	194
195	195		(iv) the Attorney General or the Attorney General’s designee; 2
196	196
197	197		(v) a law enforcement officer; 3
198	198
199	199		(vi) THE PLAINTIFF OR THE PLAINTIFF’S ATTORNEY; 4
200	200
201	201		(VII) the defendant or the defendant’s attorney; or 5
202	202
203	203		[(vii)] (VIII) the victim or the victim’s attorney. 6
204	204
205	205		SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 7
206	206		October 1, 2025. 8