Jail for revenge porn: bill
Council unanimous after victim’s tragic tale
Moments after a former beauty-pageant contestant stood on the steps of City Hall on Thursday and described how her exboyfriend tried to ruin her life by posting a secret sex tape online, the City Council unanimously approved a bill that would make posting revenge porn illegal — and send offenders to prison for up to a year.
Nathaly Rodriguez (above at City Hall on Thursday), 27, said that she had entered a pageant, but that her ex-boyfriend posted a video of them having sex online to derail her chances.
“He began to stalk, harass and threaten me all because I did not want to talk to him,” Rodriguez said. “He knew about me running in the pageant, and he wanted to make sure I would never have a chance of winning. So he posted the video that he recorded of me onto porn Web sites with information about me so people would know who was in the video.”
The Post detailed the devastating effects nonconsensual photography can have on its victims in a September exposé on Anon-IB, a Web site that is considered a repository of revenge porn.
Even though Rodriguez’s face was not in the video, she said the experience left her broken.
“To know that my body was seen by just anyone was absolutely terrifying,” she said, taking a moment to gain her composure
“I felt extremely violated, scared, hurtm and at that point, I no longer wanted to live.
“This is one of the most horrifying experiences of my life. I couldn’t eat, sleep, go to work. I didn’t even search the Web in fear I might see something of me on the Internet. This has affected me so greatly that it has literally immobilized me from living a happy normal life.
“I no longer believe in myself or my dreams.”
She called on city lawmakers to outlaw the practice, and they have. The bill, introduced by Councilman Rory Lancman (DQueens), passed easily, and Mayor de Blasio is expected to sign it into law.
It would make posting revenge porn a misdemeanor and carry a punishment of up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.
Lancman said the law is long overdue.
“Criminalizing revenge porn will ensure New Yorkers are protected and those who take part in this despicable conduct will face serious consequences,” he said.
New York is one of only 12 states that have not criminalized revenge porn. A statewide bill has been languishing in Albany since 2014.
Rodriguez said it’s time for things to change.
“The law needs to change. Recording someone in a sexual state and posting it on Web sites without their consent should be illegal,” she said.
“This can greatly help people who are victims of this type of abuse.”