New law makes 'upskirting' a crime in New Jersey
Gov. Christie signed a law Thursday criminalizing "upskirting," a term used to describe photographing underneath a woman's skirt or dress.
Gov. Christie signed a law Thursday criminalizing "upskirting," a term used to describe photographing underneath a woman's skirt or dress.
Noting concerns for protecting children and privacy in a "highly digital age," the Republican governor said the law would target "perpetrators of a perverse and growing form of pornography that victimizes vulnerable women and children in a matter of seconds."
New Jersey's invasion-of-privacy law prohibits photographing, videotaping, or otherwise recording the image of another person whose intimate parts are exposed without that person's consent and under circumstances in which a reasonable person would not expect to be observed.
The "upskirting" law also makes it a crime to photograph, video, or record photos of clothed intimate parts of another person without consent and under circumstances in which a reasonable person would not expect to have his or her private body parts observed.
Under the new law, the act of photographing or recording those photos is a fourth-degree crime punishable by up to 18 months in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, Christie's office said.
Publishing or sharing the photos, meanwhile, is a third-degree crime, according to the governor's office, punishable by three to five years in prison, a fine of up to $15,000, or both.
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