The expression "revenge porn" comes from the preponderance of such explicit images posted online by former lovers in attempts to shame the subjects of the photographs after breakups.

The images used can be obtained consensually during a relationship or can be stolen or hacked from online accounts.

The practice resulted in a new California law that makes it a misdemeanor to post identifiable nude pictures of someone else online without their permission and with the intent of causing serious emotional distress or humiliation, though that law was not cited in the charges against Bollaert.

Details.

[Have you seen such a case? How would this be prosecuted in Texas? Should the Legislature consider a new offense?]

I've one case that is not quite on point- but near.

It was charged as a harassment. Defendant harassed ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend.

She also sent a picture of the ex-boyfriend naked to the girlfriends entire family. Individually, one by one, the received an email that included a picture of their daughter's/sister's/granddaughter's/niece's boyfriend, nude and posed seductively (well... now husband).

We only filed harassment done towards the girlfriend, since that was the only one that gave us jurisdiction (def sent emails in other counties, family members live in various places around the country, but girlfriend lives in county).

Is this sort of crime worthy of felony status?

There isn't any violence or loss of property, but, as with the new technology crimes such as ID theft, there are newer, complex consequences.

Previously, the punishment ranges for crimes was designated by the seriousness of the bodily injury or the value of the loss of property. How do we measure damage to a person's reputation or the cost of restoring their status?

Not felony serious. Embarrassing, of course. What teenager hasn't been mortified when his or her parents break out the "naked baby on a sheepskin" pictures and proudly displayed the same to the prom date? Mortifying. Survivable. As are these "revenge shots".

Seldom are these pictures surreptitiously made. Some are more than proud, at first, to flash across the little screen of a phone, only to regret it later.........The moral of the whole story is this: if you don't want your "naughty bits" permanently circling the internet, do not take pictures and send them to your current love interest, or anyone else. Don't let others take pictures of you naked. Do not have sex on tape. Problem averted.

A certain former Congressman seems to have had a great deal of trouble in learning that lesson.

We will continue to see these sorts of (preventable) incidents as long as we continue to provide smartphones to members of the community who are not considered to be old enough to drive, vote, or consume alcohol.

Of course we have adults who have problems with this technology as well; but with that being the case, we are REALLY kidding ourselves if we expect our teenagers and young adults to have the foresight and self-control to use these massively powerful devices maturely.