Congress toughens penalties for sharing intimate images without consent
H.R. 4600 — RESPECT Act · Filed by Nancy Mace (R-SC) · Introduced Jul 22, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill increases criminal penalties for intentionally sharing intimate images or videos without consent over the internet. It raises prison sentences from 2–3 years to 5–10 years for first offenses, and from 18–30 months to 3–5 years for subsequent violations. The bill targets nonconsensual pornography (often called 'revenge porn') as a federal crime under the Communications Act.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is increasing prison sentences for a specific federal crime. It is a straightforward criminal-law amendment with no deregulation, subsidy, or private carve-out.
What the text implies
- Increased penalties may deter perpetrators but do not address civil remedies (damages, injunctions) available to victims under state law or existing federal statutes.
- The bill applies only to conduct involving interstate communications (internet); purely intrastate sharing may fall outside federal jurisdiction.
- Enforcement depends on federal prosecution resources; state-level crimes may remain underprosecuted despite federal penalties.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary people—particularly women and LGBTQ+ individuals who are disproportionately targeted by nonconsensual intimate image sharing—gain stronger legal protection and deterrence. Perpetrators face meaningful criminal consequences, and the increased penalties reflect the serious harm caused by this form of sexual abuse.
Named in the bill
Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. § 223(h), Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice
Where it stands
- Jul 22, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jul 22, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary and House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (635 characters) on Oct 21, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,388 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-21.
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