Revenge Porn Laws in Connecticut: What Victims Need to Know in 2026
What Connecticut Law Says
Connecticut enacted a strong revenge porn statute under Connecticut General Statutes Section 53a-189c, titled "Unlawful dissemination of an intimate image." The law classifies this offense as a Class D felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison and fines up to $5,000.
This felony classification places Connecticut among the states with the most serious criminal penalties for revenge porn. The law also creates a civil cause of action under CGS Section 52-571i, allowing victims to sue for damages, attorney's fees, and injunctive relief. This dual criminal-civil framework provides victims with multiple avenues for recourse.
Review the full text at the Connecticut General Assembly website.
What Counts as Revenge Porn in Connecticut
Connecticut's law defines the elements of the offense as follows. The content must be an intimate image showing nudity or sexual conduct. The image must have been obtained or created in circumstances where the depicted person had a reasonable expectation of privacy. The dissemination must occur without the consent of the depicted person. The offender must have acted knowingly in distributing the image.
Notably, Connecticut's law does not require proof of intent to harass — the knowing distribution without consent is sufficient. This removes a significant barrier that victims in other states face during prosecution. The law covers distribution through all media, including platforms like Reddit, Instagram, and messaging applications.
How to Report
Connecticut victims should take these steps:
- Preserve evidence — Document everything: screenshots, URLs, account names, timestamps, and any communications from the offender.
- File a police report — Contact your local police department. Connecticut State Police can also assist, particularly for cases spanning multiple jurisdictions within the state. Reference CGS 53a-189c.
- Contact the State's Attorney — Connecticut's state's attorneys handle felony prosecutions. Each judicial district has an office you can contact directly.
- Report to the FBI — File with the FBI IC3 for cases involving interstate distribution.
- Pursue civil remedies — Consult an attorney about filing a civil lawsuit under CGS 52-571i for damages and to obtain an injunction ordering the removal of content.
Limitations of Criminal Law
Connecticut's law is among the stronger state statutes, but criminal prosecution still has significant practical limitations. Felony investigations require substantial resources and time. The process from report to arraignment can take months, and the trial process adds further delay. Throughout this period, the victim's intimate images remain accessible online.
Jurisdictional issues arise frequently when the offender or the hosting platform is located outside Connecticut. While the state can prosecute offenders who target Connecticut residents, enforcing those laws against out-of-state actors requires cooperation from other jurisdictions, which is not always forthcoming.
Even the civil remedy, while valuable, takes time to pursue. Filing a lawsuit, obtaining service of process, and litigating through to a judgment can take a year or more. An injunction may be obtained faster, but only against identified defendants who are subject to the court's jurisdiction.
Removing the Content
Content removal must be pursued urgently and independently of legal proceedings.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act gives Connecticut victims the federal right to demand platform-level removal of NCII within 48 hours of notification.
StopNCII.org provides a free, confidential hashing service that helps prevent intimate images from being shared on participating platforms, without requiring victims to upload the actual images.
IntimaShield provides professional NCII removal services that handle takedown requests across multiple platforms simultaneously, manage search engine de-indexing through Google and Bing, and monitor for re-uploads to ensure images stay down.
See also: Pennsylvania's revenge porn law for a comparison of Northeast felony-level approaches.
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