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New York · Through 2026-09-11

N.Y. Penal Law § 250.71: Unlawful dissemination of a personal image

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Where this section sits in the code
  1. Penal Law
  2. Part 3. Specific Offenses
  3. Title N. Offenses Against Public Order, Public Sensibilities and the Right to Privacy
  4. Article 250. Offenses Against the Right to Privacy

§ 250.71 Unlawful dissemination of a personal image.

A person is guilty of unlawful dissemination of a personal image when,

with the intent of degrading or abusing a person who has been the victim

of a crime described in title H of this part, or otherwise causing harm

to the emotional, financial or physical welfare of such victim or such

victim's family, the person intentionally:

1. (a) creates and disseminates or publishes a still or video image of

such victim on a social media platform, without the victim's consent, in

a manner that has no or minimal cultural or social value;

(b) the victim is identifiable from the still or video image itself or

from information displayed in connection with the still or video image;

(c) the victim suffered physical injury as a result of a sex offense

as defined by article one hundred thirty of this part, serious physical

injury as a result of any non-sex offense, or death, and this injury or

death is depicted in the image; and

(d) the actor committed, participated in the commission of, or

conspired to commit the crime that resulted in such injury to such

victim; or

2. acting as an agent of the actor who created an image in violation

of subdivision one of this section, he or she knowingly disseminates or

publishes such image.

Unlawful dissemination of a personal image in the second degree is a

class A misdemeanor.

Collected 2026-09-14T19:32:45Z. Source file · JSON

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