Internal talk:Public Policy/Wikimedia DC Statement supporting the Enough Act

Hi all, this is not a new law, there are already some 38(?) states that have this law on the books, and another state passed it just the other day. It is not novel, it is not rocket science, and it has not broken the internet. Other countries have these laws, and most of them are way ahead of us.

You might want to look at the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI), they have been following this issue for some time. https://www.cybercivilrights.org/2017-natl-ncp-research-results/ You might also want to look at what has been happening in Ohio, one of the few states that does not have such a law. An activist group there has documented some 200 minors who have had images stolen from the cell phones or posted to the internet without their permission. https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2018/04/30/police-have-shut-down-revenge-porn-site-anon-ib-but-ohio-still-has-no-protections-for-victims

What we do need is something that can be enforced across state borders.

This is basically a free speech issue. If people are afraid to contribute to the internet or to Wikipedia because of photos that someone might photoshop or publish about them, this creates an atmosphere of intimidation, and makes the internet a little less free for all of us.

We need a law that makes it illegal to publish intimate photos without someone's consent, without prohibiting controversial images, such as the Vietnam napalm girl photo, that are genuinely in the public interest.

Best,

Avery

17/June/2018