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Revenge Porn Is Not Free Speech  


Author:  Roslyn Myers, PhD, JD.


Source: Volume 14, Number 03, Winter 2022 , pp.59-63(5)




Family & Intimate Partner Violence Quarterly

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Abstract: 

Recent cases have shown the circuitous route by which courts have arrived at the First Amendment when evaluating the widespread dissemination of sexually explicit images or other material that, whatever it “expresses,” does not contain or embody the ideas, opinions, thoughts, or other communications of the recipient. Victims think of revenge porn as a virtual form of rape. Some lawyers have suggested that the best legal framework for sexually explicit messages shared with an intimate is copyright law. This article examines the misapplication of free speech analyses as a result of the law’s failure to keep pace with advancing technology. The article concludes that, in developing appropriate legislation, the core violation—the lack of the individual’s consent—should be the focus in lawsuits arising from revenge porn.

Keywords: Nonconsensual Publication of Explicit Images; Illinois v. Austin; March Against Revenge Porn

Affiliations:  1: Editor, Sex Offender Law Report.

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