Senate Bill S6829A

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Establishes the crime of aggravated harassment by means of electronic or digital communication and provides for a private right of action for the unlawful dissemination or publication of deep fakes

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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Bill Amendments

2021-S6829 - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A10217
Current Committee:
Senate Rules
Law Section:
Penal Law
Laws Affected:
Add §240.78, Pen L; amd §§52-b & 52-c, Civ Rts L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:
S5583, A4217

2021-S6829 - Summary

Establishes the crime of aggravated harassment by means of electronic or digital communication; provides for a private right of action for the unlawful dissemination or publication of deep fakes, which are digitized images which are altered to incorporate a person's face or their identifiable body part onto an image and such image depicts a pornographic or lewd sex act or graphic violence.

2021-S6829 - Sponsor Memo

2021-S6829 - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6829
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 18, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  SAVINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
 
 AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to establishing the crime  of
   aggravated harassment by means of electronic or digital communication;
   and  to  amend  the  civil  rights law, in relation to providing for a
   private right of action for the unlawful dissemination or  publication
   of deep fakes
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 240.78  to
 read as follows:
 §  240.78 AGGRAVATED HARASSMENT BY MEANS OF ELECTRONIC OR DIGITAL COMMU-
            NICATION.
   1. A PERSON IS GUILTY OF AGGRAVATED HARASSMENT BY MEANS OF  ELECTRONIC
 OR DIGITAL COMMUNICATION WHEN, WITH THE INTENT TO HARASS, ANNOY, THREAT-
 EN  OR  ALARM ANOTHER PERSON, HE OR SHE PRODUCES, DISTRIBUTES, PUBLISHES
 OR BROADCASTS MATERIAL THAT CONTAINS A PICTURE, PHOTOGRAPH OR IMAGE OF A
 PERSON OR PERSONS OR A DEEP FAKE INTO WHICH THE IMAGE OF ANOTHER  PERSON
 OR PERSONS IS SUPERIMPOSED AS A DEEP FAKE.
   2.  FOR  PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "DEEP FAKE" MEANS A DIGITIZED IMAGE
 THAT IS ALTERED TO INCORPORATE A PERSON'S  FACE  OR  THEIR  IDENTIFIABLE
 BODY  PART  ONTO  SUCH  IMAGE,  AND  SUCH IMAGE IS ANY PRINTED MATERIAL,
 ADVERTISEMENT,  MOVIE,  VIDEO,  COMMUNICATION  OR  COMPUTER  IMAGE  THAT
 DEPICTS  A  PORNOGRAPHIC  OR LEWD SEX ACT AS DEFINED PURSUANT TO SECTION
 245.00 OR 130.00 OF THIS CHAPTER, OR GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, THAT IS PUBLISHED
 WITHOUT THE EXPLICIT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR INDIVIDUALS
 DEPICTED, AND FOR NO OTHER LEGITIMATE  PURPOSE  OTHER  THAN  TO  HARASS,
 ANNOY, THREATEN OR ALARM ANOTHER PERSON.
   AGGRAVATED  HARASSMENT BY MEANS OF ELECTRONIC OR DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
 SHALL BE A CLASS E FELONY.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11427-01-1
              

2021-S6829A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A10217
Current Committee:
Senate Rules
Law Section:
Penal Law
Laws Affected:
Add §240.78, Pen L; amd §§52-b & 52-c, Civ Rts L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:
S5583, A4217

2021-S6829A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the crime of aggravated harassment by means of electronic or digital communication; provides for a private right of action for the unlawful dissemination or publication of deep fakes, which are digitized images which are altered to incorporate a person's face or their identifiable body part onto an image and such image depicts a pornographic or lewd sex act or graphic violence.

2021-S6829A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2021-S6829A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  6829--A
     Cal. No. 1113
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 18, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  SAVINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes  --  recommitted  to
   the  Committee  on  Codes  in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
   reported favorably from  said  committee,  ordered  to  first  report,
   amended  on  first  report,  ordered  to  a  second report and ordered
   reprinted, retaining its place in the order of second report
 
 AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to establishing the crime  of
   aggravated harassment by means of electronic or digital communication;
   and  to  amend  the  civil  rights law, in relation to providing for a
   private right of action for the unlawful dissemination or  publication
   of deep fakes
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 240.78  to
 read as follows:
 §  240.78 AGGRAVATED HARASSMENT BY MEANS OF ELECTRONIC OR DIGITAL COMMU-
            NICATION.
   1. A PERSON IS GUILTY OF AGGRAVATED HARASSMENT BY MEANS OF  ELECTRONIC
 OR DIGITAL COMMUNICATION WHEN, WITH THE INTENT TO HARASS, ANNOY, THREAT-
 EN  OR  ALARM ANOTHER PERSON, HE OR SHE PRODUCES, DISTRIBUTES, PUBLISHES
 OR BROADCASTS MATERIAL THAT CONTAINS A PICTURE, PHOTOGRAPH OR IMAGE OF A
 PERSON OR PERSONS OR A DEEP FAKE INTO WHICH THE IMAGE OF ANOTHER  PERSON
 OR PERSONS IS SUPERIMPOSED AS A DEEP FAKE.
   2.  FOR  PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "DEEP FAKE" MEANS A DIGITIZED IMAGE
 THAT IS ALTERED TO INCORPORATE A PERSON'S  FACE  OR  THEIR  IDENTIFIABLE
 BODY  PART  ONTO  SUCH  IMAGE,  AND  SUCH IMAGE IS ANY PRINTED MATERIAL,
 ADVERTISEMENT,  MOVIE,  VIDEO,  COMMUNICATION  OR  COMPUTER  IMAGE  THAT
 DEPICTS  A  PORNOGRAPHIC  OR LEWD SEX ACT AS DEFINED PURSUANT TO SECTION
 245.00 OR 130.00 OF THIS PART, OR GRAPHIC VIOLENCE,  THAT  IS  PUBLISHED
 WITHOUT THE EXPLICIT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR INDIVIDUALS
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11427-04-2
              

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