State bill proposes criminalizing distribution of unsolicited nude photos

A state bill introduced earlier this month proposes a fine for anyone who distributes unsolicited nude photos of themselves online. It's called the Preventing Indecent Content Sharing (PICS) Act.

Senator Ling Ling Change refers to it as "cyber-flashing" and there is currently no law against it.

It is currently illegal to send out nude photos of another person without their consent. It's also illegal to harass someone online. So this bill pulls aspects of both those laws together to address a problem that women say they particularly experience. They report having problems specifically on dating apps as well as through air-drop.

“Like, often times, we get all excited about talking to some girl or some boy, you know, and so we send them pictures because we’re all riled up inside," Aptos resident Kyle Roseman said. "But the reality is, that person might not want it.”

Some Central Coast residents are concerned about the possibly unexpected dangers that come with the trend of air-dropping nude photos to random people.

“I teach children, and so, I think especially because a lot of kids these days have access to phones, it’s not okay for kids to be getting just drops of nude photos," Santa Cruz resident Kristen Hutson said. "And so, it is important that that stops happening, especially if it’s unsolicited.”

Last year, Texas enacted a similar law that was the first of its kind in the U.S. This bill is following in its footsteps.