Watch out serial dick pic senders, your naughty habit is now becoming illegal. At least, in one U.S. state.
According to Fox 4 News, the state of Texas has recently made unsolicited nude photos a Class C misdemeanor. Being committed of the crime could lead to a fine of up to $500. The new law came from the mind of Morgan Meyer of Dallas along with the help of Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Heard. Heard says that users sending unsolicited nude photos has become a “crisis and an issue.”
“They had a number of people who were using the app complaining about the sending of these images and they quickly realized there was no recourse,” Meyer told Fox 4 News. “There was nothing that could be done. It wasn’t a criminal offense – although it was definitely digital sexual harassment.”
But now thanks to the new law, people who send dick pics on dating apps like Bumble, through text messages, email, and social media without permission could be facing some legal trouble.
This is just one of the ways that companies and lawmakers are trying to combat this age of unsolicited dick pics. For instance, Grindr is rolling out a new feature where users have the option of consenting to NSFW images. Users can answer the question with “Never,” “Not At First,” and “Yes Please.”
But the new law in Texas does come with its problems. The law is currently written too broadly. Anyone who sends a NSFW image without asking is in violation of the law, that’s true even if the receiver would be interested in receiving the picture. As such, the law is expected to be challenged in the near future for being “overly broad and vague.”
“It reaches things that arguably could cover images related to medical advice or moms sharing information about breastfeeding or their babies’ health — things like that which certainly can’t be criminalized,” said Austin-based attorney J.T. Morris.
Sources: Fox 4 News, OUT