Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB803 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 MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb0803
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 803
8	8	E1 5lr2677
9	9	HB 145/24 – JUD
10	10	By: Delegates Pippy, Bouchat, Buckel, Lopez, Simpson, Tomlinson, and Valentine
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 29, 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	Criminal Law – Revenge Porn – Computer–Generated Visual Representation 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of prohibiting a person from knowingly distributing a certain 3
21	21	computer–generated visual representation of another under certain circumstances; 4
22	22	and generally relating to computer–generated visual representations and revenge 5
23	23	porn. 6
24	24
25	25	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
26	26	Article – Criminal Law 8
27	27	Section 3–809 9
28	28	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
29	29	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
30	30
31	31	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
32	32	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
33	33
34	34	Article – Criminal Law 14
35	35
36	36	3–809. 15
37	37
38	38	(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 16
39	39
40	40	(2) “COMPUTER–GENERATED VISUAL REP RESENTATION ” INCLUDES: 17
41	41
42	42	(I) A VISUAL REPRESENTAT ION CREATED WITHOUT USING 18
43	43	OTHER EXISTING VISUA L REPRESENTATIONS OF A PERSON; AND 19
44	44
45	45	(II) A VISUAL REPRESENTAT ION CREATED USING OT HER 20
46	46	EXISTING VISUA L REPRESENTATIONS OF A PERSON WITHOUT THE PERSON’S 21
47	47	CONSENT. 22 2 HOUSE BILL 803
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(3) “Distribute” means to give, sell, transfer, disseminate, publish, upload, 1
52	52	circulate, broadcast, make available, allow access to, or engage in any other form of 2
53	53	transmission, electronic or otherwise. 3
54	54
55	55	[(3)] (4) “Harm” means: 4
56	56
57	57	(i) physical injury; 5
58	58
59	59	(ii) serious emotional distress; or 6
60	60
61	61	(iii) economic damages. 7
62	62
63	63	(5) (I) “INDISTINGUISHABLE FRO M ANOTHER ACTUAL AND 8
64	64	IDENTIFIABLE PERSON ” MEANS THAT AN ORDINA RY PERSON WOULD CONC LUDE 9
65	65	THAT THE VISUAL REPRESENT ATION IS OF AN ACTUA L AND IDENTIFIABLE P ERSON. 10
66	66
67	67	(II) “INDISTINGUISHABLE FRO M ANOTHER ACTUAL AND 11
68	68	IDENTIFIABLE PERSON ” INCLUDES A COMPUTER –GENERATED VISUAL 12
69	69	REPRESENTATION THAT HAS BEEN CREATED , ADAPTED, OR MODIFIED TO APPEA R 13
70	70	AS AN ACTUAL AND IDENTIFIABLE PERSON. 14
71	71
72	72	(III) “INDISTINGUISHABLE FRO M ANOTHER ACTUAL AND 15
73	73	IDENTIFIABLE PERSON ” DOES NOT INCLUDE VIS UAL REPRESENTATIONS OR ITEMS 16
74	74	DEPICTING A PERSON T HAT ARE: 17
75	75
76	76	1. DRAWINGS; 18
77	77
78	78	2. CARTOONS; 19
79	79
80	80	3. SCULPTURES ; OR 20
81	81
82	82	4. PAINTINGS. 21
83	83
84	84	[(4)] (6) “Intimate parts” means the naked genitals, pubic area, buttocks, 22
85	85	or female nipple. 23
86	86
87	87	[(5)] (7) “Sexual activity” means: 24
88	88
89	89	(i) sexual intercourse, including genital–genital, oral–genital, 25
90	90	anal–genital, or oral–anal; 26
91	91
92	92	(ii) masturbation; or 27
93	93
94	94	(iii) sadomasochistic abuse. 28 HOUSE BILL 803 3
95	95
96	96
97	97
98	98	(b) (1) This section does not apply to: 1
99	99
100	100	(i) lawful and common practices of law enforcement, the reporting 2
101	101	of unlawful conduct, or legal proceedings; or 3
102	102
103	103	(ii) situations involving voluntary exposure in public or commercial 4
104	104	settings. 5
105	105
106	106	(2) An interactive computer service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. § 230(f)(2), is 6
107	107	not liable under this section for content provided by another person. 7
108	108
109	109	(c) (1) A person may not knowingly distribute a visual representation of 8
110	110	another identifiable person that displays the other person with his or her intimate parts 9
111	111	exposed or while engaged in an act of sexual activity: 10
112	112
113	113	[(1)] (I) with the intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten, or coerce 11
114	114	the other person; 12
115	115
116	116	[(2) (i)] (II) 1. under circumstances in which the person knew that 13
117	117	the other person did not consent to the distribution; or 14
118	118
119	119	[(ii)] 2. with reckless disregard as to whether the person 15
120	120	consented to the distribution; and 16
121	121
122	122	[(3)] (III) under circumstances in which the other person had a reasonable 17
123	123	expectation that the image would remain private. 18
124	124
125	125	(2) A PERSON MAY NOT KNOWI NGLY DISTRIBUTE A 19
126	126	COMPUTER –GENERATED VISUAL REP RESENTATION THAT IS INDISTINGUISHABLE 20
127	127	FROM ANOTHER ACTUAL AND IDENTIFIABLE PER SON THAT DISPLA YS THE OTHER 21
128	128	PERSON WITH HIS OR H ER INTIMATE PARTS EX POSED OR WHILE ENGAG ED IN AN ACT 22
129	129	OF SEXUAL ACTIVITY : 23
130	130
131	131	(I) WITH THE INTENT TO H ARM, HARASS, INTIMIDATE, 24
132	132	THREATEN, OR COERCE THE OTHER PERSON; AND 25
133	133
134	134	(II) 1. UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THE PERSON 26
135	135	KNEW THAT THE OTHER PERSON DID NOT CONSE NT TO THE DISTRIBUTI ON; OR 27
136	136
137	137	2. WITH RECKLESS DISREG ARD AS TO WHETHER TH E 28
138	138	PERSON CONSENTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION . 29
139	139
140	140	(d) A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction 30
141	141	is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 2 years or a fine not exceeding $5,000 or both. 31 4 HOUSE BILL 803
142	142
143	143
144	144
145	145	(e) A person who violates this section is subject to § 5–106(b) of the Courts Article. 1
146	146
147	147	(f) A visual representation AND A COMPUTER –GENERATED VISUAL 2
148	148	REPRESENTATION of a victim that is part of a court record for a case arising from a 3
149	149	prosecution under this section: 4
150	150
151	151	(1) subject to item (2) of this subsection, may not be made available for 5
152	152	public inspection; and 6
153	153
154	154	(2) except as otherwise ordered by the court, may only be made available 7
155	155	for inspection in relation to a criminal charge under this section to: 8
156	156
157	157	(i) court personnel; 9
158	158
159	159	(ii) a jury in a criminal case brought under this section; 10
160	160
161	161	(iii) the State’s Attorney or the State’s Attorney’s designee; 11
162	162
163	163	(iv) the Attorney General or the Attorney General’s designee; 12
164	164
165	165	(v) a law enforcement officer; 13
166	166
167	167	(vi) the defendant or the defendant’s attorney; or 14
168	168
169	169	(vii) the victim or the victim’s attorney. 15
170	170
171	171	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 16
172	172	October 1, 2025. 17
173	173