Sponsor
Mike Lee
Senator · R-UT
Senator · R-UT
The bill gives victims stronger legal remedies and creates national verification standards to curb nonconsensual intimate-image sharing, but does so by imposing substantial compliance costs, privacy risks from required ID/consent collection, and incentives for platforms to over-block lawful sexual content.
People depicted in intimate images (victims) gain a clear private right to sue platforms that fail to verify participants, with statutory damages (at least $10,000 per image per day) giving victims a strong avenue for compensation and accountability.
Platforms are required to prevent reuploads of nonconsensual intimate images, reducing repeated distribution of revenge porn and lowering ongoing harm to victims.
The Attorney General’s model consent form and verification standards create a uniform nationwide process to prove consent and age, simplifying compliance expectations and reducing inconsistent enforcement across states.
Small platforms and online services face heavy compliance costs and large liability exposure from per-image, per-day statutory damages (up to $10,000), which could threaten smaller businesses and raise consumer costs.
Users and content creators must submit government‑approved consent forms and photo ID for verification, creating new privacy risks from collection, storage, and potential misuse of sensitive personal data.
Verification and liability incentives may push platforms to broadly restrict or remove sexually explicit content to avoid risk, potentially limiting lawful sexual expression and adult creators’ livelihoods.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Requires platforms to verify identity, age, and written consent for every participant in pornographic/intimate images, creates civil and criminal penalties, and mandates anti-reupload measures.
Official title: Prevent the distribution of intimate visual depictions without consent.
Introduced July 23, 2026 by Mike Lee · Last progress July 23, 2026
Requires online platforms that host pornographic or intimate images to verify uploader identity and age and to obtain written, form-based consent from every participant before allowing images to be posted or reuploaded. Establishes civil and criminal penalties for platforms and users who fail to verify age or consent, directs the Attorney General to publish model consent and approve acceptable verification methods, and adds a duty to prevent reuploads of nonconsensual intimate images. Creates a private right of action and empowers the Attorney General to impose fines and use proceeds for enforcement; verification rules take effect 90 days after enactment and apply retroactively to previously uploaded images. Includes a severability clause and preserves existing federal and state protections and First Amendment safeguards as stated in the text.