Creeps caught sharing intimate images of exes online will soon be looking at a year behind bars.
The Democratic-controlled Legislature on Thursday passed a bill making "revenge porn" a misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail.
"We will ensure justice for the victims of revenge porn," said sponsor Sen. Monica Martinez (D-Suffolk). "Our laws have yet to catch up with technology. This legislation is long overdue."
There are already laws on the books making it illegal in the state to secretly record sexual encounters -- but vengeful exes faced no repercussions for trying to get back at former flames by spreading uploading and sharing sexually explicit images or videos online without the subject's consent.
The new legislation, which passed unanimously in the Senate 60-0 and 104-0 in the Assembly, also allows victims to pursue a civil case against the person spreading private photos online.
"Revenge porn is a pervasive problem that often results in victims being threatened with sexual assault, stalked, harassed, or fired from jobs," said Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Queens). "Some victims have even committed suicide due to the severe emotional pain. The passage of this legislation sends a strong message that individuals who engage in this type of reprehensible behavior will be held accountable for their actions."
Similar proposals have stalled in Albany dating back to 2013. An influential lobbying group representing big tech companies said its members support efforts to criminalize revenge porn, but in the past battled legislation over concerns companies could be held legally responsible for inadvertently allowing photos on their sites.
"While the industry continues to have reservations about the bill, it is important for New York State to pass (the bill) so that victims of these horrific actions will have the ability to hold bad actors to account.," said John Olsen, a representative for the Internet Association, which lobbies for online juggernauts including Google, Facebook and Amazon.
While Congress has failed to move a bill outlawing revenge porn on the federal level, New York City passed a bill criminalizing sharing salacious content without consent in 2017.
Carrie Goldberg, an advisory board member at Cyber Civil Rights Initiative and a lawyer whose firm fights for victims of sexual assault, applauded the passage, noting that New York is the 42nd state to pass such legislation.
"This law puts sexual privacy where it belongs -- in the hands of New Yorkers," she said. "Finally, victims of the most intimate kind of violation can seek criminal redress, a restraining order, and justice from our civil courts."
The bill now heads to Gov. Cuomo, who has supported such measures in the past, for his signature.
"For years I have called for outlawing revenge porn as part of our fight to combat sexual violence in all its forms. This disgusting and insidious behavior, which can follow victims around their entire lives, has no place in New York," the governor said in a statement.
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