Public Act 0571 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0382 Enrolled LRB103 02790 LNS 47796 b

Public Act 103-0571

AN ACT concerning civil law.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Civil Remedies for Nonconsensual Dissemination of Private Sexual Images Act is amended by changing Sections 5 and 15 as follows:

(740 ILCS 190/5)

(Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 103-294)

Sec. 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:

(1) "Child" means an unemancipated individual who is less than 18 years of age.

(2) "Consent" means affirmative, conscious, and voluntary authorization by an individual with legal capacity to give authorization.

(3) "Depicted individual" means an individual whose body is shown, in whole or in part, in a private sexual image.

(4) "Dissemination" or "disseminate" means publication or distribution to another person with intent to disclose.

(5) "Harm" means physical harm, economic harm, or emotional distress whether or not accompanied by physical or economic harm.

(6) "Identifiable" means recognizable by a person other than the depicted individual:

(A) from a private sexual image itself; or

(B) from a private sexual image and identifying characteristic displayed in connection with the image.

(7) "Identifying characteristic" means information that may be used to identify a depicted individual.

(8) "Individual" means a human being.

(9) "Parent" means an individual recognized as a parent under laws of this State.

(10) "Private" means:

(A) created or obtained under circumstances in which a depicted individual had a reasonable expectation of privacy; or

(B) made accessible through theft, bribery, extortion, fraud, voyeurism, or exceeding authorized access to an account, message, file, device, resource, or property.

(11) "Person" means an individual, business or nonprofit entity, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency, or other legal entity.

(12) "Sexual conduct" includes:

(A) masturbation;

(B) genital sex, anal sex, oral sex, or sexual activity; or

(C) sexual penetration of or with an object.

(13) "Sexual activity" means any:

(A) knowing touching or fondling by the depicted individual or another person, either directly or through clothing, of the sex organs, anus, or breast of the depicted individual or another person for the purpose of sexual gratification or arousal;

(B) transfer or transmission of semen upon any part of the clothed or unclothed body of the depicted individual, for the purpose of sexual gratification or arousal of the depicted individual or another person;

(C) act of urination within a sexual context;

(D) bondage, fetish, sadism, or masochism;

(E) sadomasochistic abuse in any sexual context; or

(F) animal-related sexual activity.

(14) "Sexual image" means a photograph, film, videotape, digital recording, or other similar medium that shows:

(A) the fully unclothed, partially unclothed, or transparently clothed genitals, pubic area, anus, or female post-pubescent nipple, partially or fully exposed, of a depicted individual; or

(B) a depicted individual engaging in or being subjected to sexual conduct or activity.

(Source: P.A. 101-556, eff. 1-1-20.)

(Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 103-294)

Sec. 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:

(1) "Child" means an unemancipated individual who is less than 18 years of age.

(2) "Consent" means affirmative, conscious, and voluntary authorization by an individual with legal capacity to give authorization.

(3) "Depicted individual" means an individual whose face or body is shown, in whole or in part, in a private sexual image or digitally altered sexual image.

(3.5) "Digitally altered sexual image" means any visual media, including any photograph, film, videotape digital recording, or other similar medium, that is created or substantially altered so that it would falsely appear to a reasonable person to be an authentic depiction of the appearance or conduct, or the absence of the appearance or conduct, of an individual depicted in the media.

(4) "Dissemination" or "disseminate" means publication or distribution to another person with intent to disclose.

(5) "Harm" means physical harm, economic harm, or emotional distress whether or not accompanied by physical or economic harm.

(6) "Identifiable" means recognizable by a person other than the depicted individual:

(A) from a private sexual image itself; or

(B) from a private sexual image and identifying characteristic displayed in connection with the image.

(7) "Identifying characteristic" means information that may be used to identify a depicted individual.

(8) "Individual" means a human being.

(9) "Parent" means an individual recognized as a parent under laws of this State.

(10) "Private" means:

(A) created or obtained under circumstances in which a depicted individual had a reasonable expectation of privacy; or

(B) made accessible through theft, bribery, extortion, fraud, voyeurism, or exceeding authorized access to an account, message, file, device, resource, or property.

(11) "Person" means an individual, business or nonprofit entity, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency, or other legal entity.

(12) "Sexual conduct" includes:

(A) masturbation;

(B) genital sex, anal sex, oral sex, or sexual activity; or

(C) sexual penetration of or with an object.

(13) "Sexual activity" means any:

(A) knowing touching or fondling by the depicted individual or another person, either directly or through clothing, of the sex organs, anus, or breast of the depicted individual or another person for the purpose of sexual gratification or arousal;

(B) transfer or transmission of semen upon any part of the clothed or unclothed body of the depicted individual, for the purpose of sexual gratification or arousal of the depicted individual or another person;

(C) act of urination within a sexual context;

(D) bondage, fetish, sadism, or masochism;

(E) sadomasochistic abuse in any sexual context; or

(F) animal-related sexual activity.

(14) "Sexual image" means a photograph, film, videotape, digital recording, or other similar medium that shows or falsely appears to show:

(A) the fully unclothed, partially unclothed, or transparently clothed genitals, pubic area, anus, or female post-pubescent nipple, partially or fully exposed, of a depicted individual; or

(B) a depicted individual engaging in or being subjected to sexual conduct or activity.

(Source: P.A. 103-294, eff. 1-1-24.)

(740 ILCS 190/15)

(Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 103-294)

Sec. 15. Exceptions to liability.

(a) A person is not liable under this Act if the person proves that the dissemination of or a threat to disseminate a private sexual image was:

(1) made in good faith:

(A) by law enforcement;

(B) in a legal proceeding; or

(C) for medical education or treatment;

(2) made in good faith in the reporting or investigation of:

(A) unlawful conduct; or

(B) unsolicited and unwelcome conduct; or

(3) related to a matter of public concern.

(b) Subject to subsection (c), a defendant who is a parent, legal guardian, or individual with legal custody of a child is not liable under this Act for a dissemination or threatened dissemination of an intimate private sexual image of the child.

(c) If a defendant asserts an exception to liability under subsection (b), the exception does not apply if the plaintiff proves the disclosure was:

(1) prohibited by a law other than this Act; or

(2) made for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, humiliation, degradation, or monetary or commercial gain.

(d) The dissemination of or a threat to disseminate a private sexual image is not a matter of public concern solely because the depicted individual is a public figure.

(Source: P.A. 101-556, eff. 1-1-20.)

(Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 103-294)

Sec. 15. Exceptions to liability.

(a) A person is not liable under this Act if the person proves that the dissemination of or a threat to disseminate a private sexual image or digitally altered sexual image was:

(1) made in good faith:

(A) by law enforcement;

(B) in a legal proceeding; or

(C) for medical education or treatment;

(2) made in good faith in the reporting or investigation of:

(A) unlawful conduct; or

(B) unsolicited and unwelcome conduct; or

(3) related to a matter of public concern.

(b) Subject to subsection (c), a defendant who is a parent, legal guardian, or individual with legal custody of a child is not liable under this Act for a dissemination or threatened dissemination of an intimate private sexual image of the child.

(c) If a defendant asserts an exception to liability under subsection (b), the exception does not apply if the plaintiff proves the disclosure was:

(1) prohibited by a law other than this Act; or

(2) made for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, humiliation, degradation, or monetary or commercial gain.

(d) The dissemination of or a threat to disseminate a private sexual image is not a matter of public concern solely because the depicted individual is a public figure or the image is accompanied by a political message.

(Source: P.A. 103-294, eff. 1-1-24.)

Section 95. No acceleration or delay. Where this Act makes changes in a statute that is represented in this Act by text that is not yet or no longer in effect (for example, a Section represented by multiple versions), the use of that text does not accelerate or delay the taking effect of (i) the changes made by this Act or (ii) provisions derived from any other Public Act.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

Effective Date: 12/8/2023