Governor signs revenge porn bill supported by Valley woman

YOUNGSTOWN

People who share “revenge porn” will soon find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Republican Gov. John Kasich signed Ohio House Bill 497 into law Friday, which bans the sharing of private sexual images and punishes people who distribute sexually explicit images for the purposes of harassment.

The first offense is a third-degree misdemeanor, the second offense is a second-degree misdemeanor, and a third offense would result in a first-degree misdemeanor.

The bill also prevents state institutions and license-granting agencies from punishing or otherwise discriminating against victims of image abuse.

An image-abuse advocacy group, Battling Against Demeaning and Abusive Selfie Sharing, has been working for more than a year to assist and support victims of revenge porn.

A local woman, Katelyn Bowden, started the group after her own images were stolen and spread around online.

Read more about the matter in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.