2024 Code of Alabama
Title 13A - Criminal Code.
Chapter 6 - Offenses Involving Danger to the Person.
Article 11 - Additional Sexual Offenses.
Section 13A-6-240 - Distributing a Private Image; Creating a Private Image.
Section 13A-6-240
Distributing a Private Image; Creating a Private Image.
(a)(1) A person commits the crime of distributing a private image if he or she knowingly posts, emails, texts, transmits, or otherwise distributes a private image when the depicted individual has not consented in writing to the transmission and the depicted individual had a reasonable expectation of privacy against transmission of the private image.
(2) A person commits the crime of creating a private image if he or she knowingly creates, records, or alters a private image when the depicted individual has not consented to the creation, recording, or alteration and the depicted individual had a reasonable expectation of privacy against the creation, recording, or alteration of the private image.
(b)(1) For purposes of this section, “private image” means a photograph, digital image, video, film, or other recording of an individual who is identifiable from the recording itself or from the circumstances of its transmission and who is engaged in any act of sexually explicit conduct, as defined in Section 13A-12-190.
(2) The term includes both of the following:
a. A recording that has been edited, altered, or otherwise manipulated from its original form.
b. A recording that a reasonable person would believe actually depicts an identifiable individual, regardless of whether any portion of the recording depicts another individual or is artificially generated.
(c)(1) For purposes of this section, a “reasonable expectation of privacy” includes, but is not limited to, either of the following circumstances:
a. The individual depicted in the private image created it or consented to its creation believing that it would remain confidential.
b. The sexual conduct depicted in the image was involuntary.
(2) There is no reasonable expectation of privacy against the transmission of a private image made voluntarily in a public setting or made with prior written consent in a commercial setting.
(d) It is a defense to distributing a private image if the distribution of the private image was made in the public interest, including, but not limited to, the reporting of unlawful conduct; the lawful and common practices of law enforcement, legal proceedings, or medical treatment; or a bona fide attempt to prevent further distribution of the private image.
(e) The crimes of distributing a private image and creating a private image shall be considered to be committed in any county in which any part of the crime took place, in the county of residence of the victim or defendant, or any county where the image is received.
(f) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor. A subsequent adjudication or conviction under this section is a Class C felony.
(g) If the Attorney General has reason to believe a person
has engaged in, or is engaging in, a violation of this section, the Attorney
General may petition for an emergency injunction or other necessary relief to
enjoin the violation, and may order the person to provide a copy of the written
consent required by this section.
(h) No Internet service provider, search engine, cloud
service provider, or affiliate or subsidiary of any of the same, shall be held
to have violated this section solely for providing access or connection to or
from a website, other information or content on the Internet, or a facility,
system, or network not under the control of the provider, including, but not
limited to, the transmission, download, intermediate storage, or access
software of content that is a private image or is child sexual abuse material to the extent the provider is not responsible for the creation of the content
of the communication that constitutes the private image or child sexual abuse
material.
(i) No developer or provider of technology shall be held to
have violated this section solely for providing or developing technology used
by another person to violate this section.
(Act 2017-414, §1; Act 2023-464, §1; Act 2024-96, §1; Act 2024-97, §11; Act 2024-98, §3.)
