Criminal Offenses

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide details on enforcement mechanisms or penalties.

Changing Laws About Unlawful Images

This bill changes Tennessee's laws to make it illegal to share private images of someone's intimate parts or sexually explicit activities using computer programs or artificial intelligence without their permission, regardless of whether the person in the image feels emotionally distressed.

What This Bill Does

• Removes the need for the person in the image to suffer emotional distress for an offense to be considered unlawful exposure.
• Adds that creating or modifying images of someone's intimate parts or sexually explicit activities using computer programs, artificial intelligence, or digital editing tools can also make sharing those images illegal if done without permission.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who share private images of others using computer programs or artificial intelligence.
• Individuals whose intimate images are shared without their consent.

Terms To Know

Unlawful exposure

Sharing private, intimate images of someone without their permission and with the intent to cause emotional distress.

Artificial intelligence application

A computer program that uses AI technology to create or modify digital content.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if someone shares an image without the intent to cause emotional distress.
• It is unclear how this law will be enforced and who will decide if a person's actions meet the criteria for unlawful exposure.

Official Summary Text

Present law provides that a
person c
ommits unlawful exposure who, with the intent to cause emotional distress, distributes an image of the intimate part or parts of another identifiable person or an image of an identifiable person engaged in sexually explicit conduct if
the image was photogr
aphed
or recorded under circumstances where the parties agreed or understood that the image would remain private
and the person depicted in the image suffers emotional distress.

This bill revises the provision above by (i) removing the requirement that
the person depicted in the image suffers emotional distress, and (ii) adding that such a violation can also occur if t
he image of an identifiable person was created or modified by means of a computer software program, artificial intelligence application,
or other digital editing tools.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 404
By Lamar

HOUSE BILL 433
By Jones J

HB0433
002047
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39,
relative to unlawful images.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-17-318(a)(1), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(1)
(A) The image was photographed or recorded under circumstances
where the parties agreed or understood that the image would remain private; or
(B) The image of an identifiable person was created or modified by
means of a computer software program, artificial intelligence application, or other
digital editing tools; and
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.