Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SB516 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	II
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION S. 516
5	5	To provide that it is unlawful to knowingly distribute private intimate visual
6	6	depictions with reckless disregard for the individual’s lack of consent
7	7	to the distribution, and for other purposes.
8	8	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
9	9	FEBRUARY11, 2025
10	10	Ms. K
11	11	LOBUCHAR(for herself and Mr. CORNYN) introduced the following bill;
12	12	which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
13	13	A BILL
14	14	To provide that it is unlawful to knowingly distribute private
15	15	intimate visual depictions with reckless disregard for the
16	16	individual’s lack of consent to the distribution, and for
17	17	other purposes.
18	18	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
19	19	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
20	20	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
21	21	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stopping Harmful 4
22	22	Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act of 5
23	23	2025’’ or the ‘‘SHIELD Act of 2023’’. 6
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26	26	•S 516 IS
27	27	SEC. 2. CERTAIN ACTIVITIES RELATING TO INTIMATE VIS-1
28	28	UAL DEPICTIONS. 2
29	29	(a) I
30	30	NGENERAL.—Chapter 88 of title 18, United 3
31	31	States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-4
32	32	lowing: 5
33	33	‘‘§ 1802. Certain activities relating to intimate visual 6
34	34	depictions 7
35	35	‘‘(a) D
36	36	EFINITIONS.—In this section: 8
37	37	‘‘(1) C
38	38	OMMUNICATIONS SERVICE .—The term 9
39	39	‘communications service’ means— 10
40	40	‘‘(A) a service provided by a person that is 11
41	41	a common carrier, as that term is defined in 12
42	42	section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 13
43	43	(47 U.S.C. 153), insofar as the person is acting 14
44	44	as a common carrier; 15
45	45	‘‘(B) an electronic communication service, 16
46	46	as that term is defined in section 2510; 17
47	47	‘‘(C) an information service, as that term 18
48	48	is defined in section 3 of the Communications 19
49	49	Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153); and 20
50	50	‘‘(D) an interactive computer service, as 21
51	51	that term is defined in section 230(f) of the 22
52	52	Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 23
53	53	230(f)). 24
54	54	‘‘(2) I
55	55	NFORMATION CONTENT PROVIDER .—The 25
56	56	term ‘information content provider’ has the meaning 26
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59	59	•S 516 IS
60	60	given that term in section 230(f) of the Communica-1
61	61	tions Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 230(f)). 2
62	62	‘‘(3) I
63	63	NTIMATE VISUAL DEPICTION .—The term 3
64	64	‘intimate visual depiction’ means any visual depic-4
65	65	tion (as that term is defined in section 2256(5)) of 5
66	66	an individual— 6
67	67	‘‘(A) who has attained 18 years of age at 7
68	68	the time the intimate visual depiction is cre-8
69	69	ated; 9
70	70	‘‘(B) who is recognizable to a third party 10
71	71	from the intimate image itself or information or 11
72	72	text displayed in connection with the intimate 12
73	73	image itself or information or text displayed in 13
74	74	connection with the intimate image; and 14
75	75	‘‘(C)(i) who is depicted engaging in sexu-15
76	76	ally explicit conduct; or 16
77	77	‘‘(ii) whose genitals, anus, pubic area, or 17
78	78	female nipple are unclothed and visible. 18
79	79	‘‘(4) M
80	80	INOR.—The term ‘minor’ has the mean-19
81	81	ing given that term in section 2256. 20
82	82	‘‘(5) S
83	83	EXUALLY EXPLICIT CONDUCT .—The term 21
84	84	‘sexually explicit conduct’ has the meaning given 22
85	85	that term in section 2256(2)(A). 23
86	86	‘‘(6) V
87	87	ISUAL DEPICTION OF A NUDE MINOR .— 24
88	88	The term ‘visual depiction of a nude minor’ means 25
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91	91	•S 516 IS
92	92	any visual depiction (as that term is defined in sec-1
93	93	tion 2256(5)) of an individual who is recognizable by 2
94	94	an individual other than the depicted individual from 3
95	95	the intimate image itself or information or text dis-4
96	96	played in connection with the intimate image who 5
97	97	was under 18 years of age at the time the visual de-6
98	98	piction was created in which the actual anus, geni-7
99	99	tals, or pubic area, or post-pubescent female nipple, 8
100	100	of the minor are unclothed, visible, and displayed in 9
101	101	a manner that does not constitute sexually explicit 10
102	102	conduct. 11
103	103	‘‘(b) O
104	104	FFENSES.— 12
105	105	‘‘(1) I
106	106	N GENERAL.—Except as provided in sub-13
107	107	section (d), it shall be unlawful to knowingly mail, 14
108	108	or to knowingly distribute using any means or facil-15
109	109	ity of interstate or foreign commerce or affecting 16
110	110	interstate or foreign commerce, an intimate visual 17
111	111	depiction of an individual— 18
112	112	‘‘(A) that was obtained or created under 19
113	113	circumstances in which the actor knew or rea-20
114	114	sonably should have known the individual de-21
115	115	picted had a reasonable expectation of privacy; 22
116	116	‘‘(B) where what is depicted was not volun-23
117	117	tarily exposed by the individual in a public or 24
118	118	commercial setting; 25
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121	121	•S 516 IS
122	122	‘‘(C) where what is depicted is not a mat-1
123	123	ter of public concern; and 2
124	124	‘‘(D) if the distribution— 3
125	125	‘‘(i) is intended to cause harm; or 4
126	126	‘‘(ii) causes harm, including psycho-5
127	127	logical, financial, or reputational harm, to 6
128	128	the individual depicted. 7
129	129	For purposes of this paragraph, the fact that the 8
130	130	subject of the depiction consented to the creation of 9
131	131	the depiction shall not establish that that person 10
132	132	consented to its distribution. 11
133	133	‘‘(2) I
134	134	NVOLVING MINORS.—Except as provided 12
135	135	in subsection (d), it shall be unlawful to knowingly 13
136	136	mail, or to knowingly distribute using any means or 14
137	137	facility of interstate or foreign commerce or affect-15
138	138	ing interstate or foreign commerce, a visual depic-16
139	139	tion of a nude minor with intent to abuse, humiliate, 17
140	140	harass, or degrade the minor, or to arouse or gratify 18
141	141	the sexual desire of any person. 19
142	142	‘‘(c) P
143	143	ENALTY.— 20
144	144	‘‘(1) I
145	145	N GENERAL.— 21
146	146	‘‘(A) V
147	147	ISUAL DEPICTION OF A NUDE 22
148	148	MINOR.—Any person who violates subsection 23
149	149	(b)(2) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned 24
150	150	not more than 3 years, or both. 25
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153	153	•S 516 IS
154	154	‘‘(B) INTIMATE VISUAL DEPICTION .—Any 1
155	155	person who violates subsection (b)(1) shall be 2
156	156	fined under this title, imprisoned for not more 3
157	157	than 2 years, or both. 4
158	158	‘‘(2) F
159	159	ORFEITURE.— 5
160	160	‘‘(A) I
161	161	N GENERAL.—The court, in impos-6
162	162	ing a sentence on any person convicted of a vio-7
163	163	lation involving intimate visual depictions or 8
164	164	visual depictions of a nude minor under this 9
165	165	section, or convicted of a conspiracy of a viola-10
166	166	tion involving intimate visual depictions or vis-11
167	167	ual depictions of a nude minor under this sec-12
168	168	tion, shall order, in addition to any other sen-13
169	169	tence imposed and irrespective of any provision 14
170	170	of State law, that such person forfeit to the 15
171	171	United States— 16
172	172	‘‘(i) any material distributed in viola-17
173	173	tion of this section; 18
174	174	‘‘(ii) such person’s interest in prop-19
175	175	erty, real or personal, constituting or de-20
176	176	rived from any gross proceeds of such vio-21
177	177	lation, or any property traceable to such 22
178	178	property, obtained or retained directly or 23
179	179	indirectly as a result of such violation; and 24
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182	182	•S 516 IS
183	183	‘‘(iii) any personal property of the 1
184	184	person used, or intended to be used, in any 2
185	185	manner or part, to commit or to facilitate 3
186	186	the commission of such violation. 4
187	187	‘‘(B) P
188	188	ROCEDURES.—Section 413 of the 5
189	189	Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 853), 6
190	190	with the exception of subsections (a) and (d), 7
191	191	applies to the criminal forfeiture of property 8
192	192	pursuant to subparagraph (A). 9
193	193	‘‘(3) R
194	194	ESTITUTION.—Restitution shall be avail-10
195	195	able as provided in section 2264 of this title. 11
196	196	‘‘(d) E
197	197	XCEPTIONS.— 12
198	198	‘‘(1) L
199	199	AW ENFORCEMENT , LAWFUL REPORTING , 13
200	200	AND OTHER LEGAL PROCEEDINGS .—This section— 14
201	201	‘‘(A) does not prohibit any lawfully author-15
202	202	ized investigative, protective, or intelligence ac-16
203	203	tivity of a law enforcement agency of the 17
204	204	United States, a State, or a political subdivision 18
205	205	of a State, or of an intelligence agency of the 19
206	206	United States; and 20
207	207	‘‘(B) shall not apply to distributions that 21
208	208	are made reasonably and in good faith— 22
209	209	‘‘(i) to report unlawful or unsolicited 23
210	210	activity or in pursuance of a legal or pro-24
211	211	fessional or other lawful obligation; 25
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214	214	•S 516 IS
215	215	‘‘(ii) to seek support or help with re-1
216	216	spect to the receipt of an unsolicited inti-2
217	217	mate visual depiction; 3
218	218	‘‘(iii) relating to an individual who 4
219	219	possesses or distributes a visual depiction 5
220	220	of himself or herself engaged in nudity or 6
221	221	sexually explicit conduct; 7
222	222	‘‘(iv) to assist the depicted individual; 8
223	223	‘‘(v) for legitimate medical, scientific, 9
224	224	or educational purposes; or 10
225	225	‘‘(vi) as part of a document produc-11
226	226	tion or filing associated with a legal pro-12
227	227	ceeding. 13
228	228	‘‘(2) S
229	229	ERVICE PROVIDERS.—This section shall 14
230	230	not apply to any provider of a communications serv-15
231	231	ice with regard to content provided by another infor-16
232	232	mation content provider unless the provider of the 17
233	233	communications service intentionally solicits, or 18
234	234	knowingly and predominantly distributes, such con-19
235	235	tent. 20
236	236	‘‘(e) T
237	237	HREATS.—Any person who intentionally 21
238	238	threatens to commit an offense under subsection (b) for 22
239	239	the purpose of intimidation, coercion, extortion, or to cre-23
240	240	ate mental distress shall be punished as provided in sub-24
241	241	section (c). 25
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245	245	‘‘(f) E XTRATERRITORIALITY.—There is 1
246	246	extraterritorial Federal jurisdiction over an offense under 2
247	247	this section if the defendant or the depicted individual is 3
248	248	a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. 4
249	249	‘‘(g) R
250	250	ULE OFCONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-5
251	251	tion shall be construed to limit the application of any other 6
252	252	relevant law, including section 2252 of this title.’’. 7
253	253	(b) C
254	254	LERICALAMENDMENT.—The table of sections 8
255	255	for chapter 88 of title 18, United States Code, is amended 9
256	256	by inserting after the item relating to section 1801 the 10
257	257	following: 11
258	258	‘‘1802. Certain activities relating to intimate visual depictions.’’.
259	259	(c) CONFORMINGAMENDMENT.—Section 2264(a) of 12
260	260	title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘, 13
261	261	or under section 1802 of this title’’ before the period. 14
262	262	Æ
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