On 12 October, a press release from the Ministry of Justice and The Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP announced that maliciously sharing sexually explicit pictures of former partners will become a specific offence in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, which is currently going through Parliament.
The change in the law will apply to images shared both online and offline, covering those posted on social networking sites or websites and those distributed physically or sent by SMS. The law will also apply to photographs or video showing people engaged in sexual activity or their genitals, where “what is shown would not usually be seen by the public.”
The exact form of the offence has not been determined, but the press release stated it would carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
