# Understanding the SHIELD Act of 2024

This bill makes it a federal crime to share intimate photos or videos of someone without their permission. Specifically, it targets the practice of distributing private sexual images—sometimes called "revenge porn"—when the person in the image didn't consent to having it shared. The law applies to adults and creates separate, stricter penalties for images involving minors.

For adults, the bill makes it illegal to knowingly distribute intimate images (showing someone naked or engaged in sexual activity) if the person depicted had a reasonable expectation of privacy when the image was created, the image wasn't voluntarily shown in public, and the distribution either intends to cause harm or actually causes psychological, financial, or reputational damage to the person in the image. It's important to note that just because someone agreed to let you take the intimate photo doesn't mean they agreed to let you share it with others—consent to creation is different from consent to distribution. People who violate this could face up to two years in prison and fines.

For images of minors, the law is even stricter. Distributing nude images of anyone under 18 is illegal if it's done to abuse, humiliate, harass, degrade them, or to sexually arouse anyone. This carries up to three years in prison. The bill also makes it illegal to threaten to share such images for purposes of intimidation, coercion, or extortion.

The law includes important exceptions so it doesn't punish people acting in good faith—like reporting illegal activity to authorities, seeking help after receiving unwanted images, or sharing images as part of a legal case. It also protects internet service providers and social media platforms from liability unless they're intentionally promoting this kind of content. Federal law enforcement can prosecute these crimes even if the person who committed it or the person in the image is outside the United States, as long as one of them is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.