Revenge Porn Laws in Washington, D.C.: What Victims Need to Know in 2026
What D.C. Law Says
Washington, D.C. enacted the Criminalization of Non-Consensual Pornography Act of 2014 (D.C. Code Section 22-3052 through 22-3056), making it a criminal offense to distribute intimate images without the depicted person's consent. The offense is classified as a misdemeanor for a first offense.
Penalties include up to 180 days in jail and fines up to $1,000 for a first offense. A second or subsequent offense is punishable by up to 360 days in jail and fines up to $12,500. D.C. also provides a civil cause of action under the same act, allowing victims to recover actual damages, attorney's fees, and other relief. The district's law was among the earlier NCII statutes in the nation.
Review the statute at the D.C. Council website.
What Counts as Revenge Porn in D.C.
D.C.'s law defines the offense through the following elements. The content must be an image depicting a person who is nude, engaging in sexual conduct, or in another sexual or intimate context. The image must have been made or obtained under circumstances in which the depicted person had a reasonable expectation of privacy. The distribution must occur without the knowledge and consent of the depicted person. The offender must know or should have known that the depicted person did not consent.
D.C.'s statute is notable for not requiring proof of specific intent to harm or harass. The knowing distribution without consent is sufficient. This lower threshold makes prosecution more accessible for victims. The law covers all forms of distribution, including social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter/X, as well as websites, messaging apps, and email.
How to Report
D.C. victims should take these steps:
- Preserve all evidence — Screenshot images, save URLs, document account information, and preserve any related messages or communications.
- Contact the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) — File a report at your local district station or call the non-emergency line at (202) 727-9099. Reference D.C. Code 22-3052.
- Contact the Office of the Attorney General — The D.C. OAG handles misdemeanor prosecutions in the district and can be reached at (202) 727-3400.
- File with the FBI — Report to the FBI IC3 for internet-based distribution.
- Seek a civil protection order — D.C. Superior Court can issue civil protection orders that address the distribution of intimate images.
Limitations of Criminal Law
D.C.'s criminal statute provides a foundation for prosecution, but faces several practical limitations. The misdemeanor classification means that cases may receive lower priority than felonies, leading to longer processing times. The Metropolitan Police Department handles a high volume of cases, and digital crimes may not always receive immediate attention.
Jurisdictional complexity is a particular challenge in D.C. because the district sits at the intersection of Maryland and Virginia, and internet-based crimes frequently cross these boundaries. Coordination between D.C., federal, and neighboring state law enforcement can slow investigations. The federal nature of D.C.'s legal system also creates unique procedural considerations.
Even with a conviction, the criminal process does not remove content from the internet. Images may persist on platforms, in search engine caches, and on mirror sites long after a case concludes. The victim bears the burden of separately pursuing content removal from each platform.
Removing the Content
Content removal must proceed on a separate, faster track from criminal prosecution.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act requires platforms to remove NCII within 48 hours of receiving a valid takedown request, giving D.C. victims a federal enforcement mechanism.
StopNCII.org allows victims to create digital hashes of their images that participating platforms use to proactively block sharing, without requiring the actual images to be uploaded.
IntimaShield offers professional NCII removal services that handle multi-platform takedowns, search engine de-indexing, and monitoring for re-uploads across the web.
See also: Virginia's revenge porn law for a neighboring jurisdiction's approach.
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