Maryland Mayor Is Charged in ‘Revenge Porn’ Case; The New York Times, November 16, 2021

Amanda Holpuch, The New York Times; Maryland Mayor Is Charged in ‘Revenge Porn’ Case

Andrew Bradshaw, the mayor of Cambridge, on the state’s Eastern Shore, posted nude photos of a former partner on Reddit, along with degrading comments and racial slurs, prosecutors said. 

"The landscape for revenge porn cases has shifted significantly over the past decade. In 2013, three states had criminalized nonconsensual pornography. Today, 48 states have done so, said Mary Anne Franks, the president and legislative and tech policy director at the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative. Maryland’s revenge porn law went into effect in 2014.

Dr. Franks said Maryland’s law, like others in the United States, was too restrictive because, to convict someone, prosecutors must prove that the person who shared the photos intended to cause serious emotional distress.

That standard can protect people who say they posted photos for profit, to improve standing in their community or because they didn’t think the individual in the photo would care, Dr. Franks said. Prosecutors might have an easier time proving malicious intent in Mr. Bradshaw’s case, she said, because of the breadth and cruelty of the posts prosecutors accused him of making."