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." Sharing the image with one person by any means is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. Since a 2021 amendment, sharing it with more than one person through an online, information, or telecommunications service is a Class D felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

The felony tier places Connecticut among the states with more serious penalties for revenge porn shared online. A separate 2025 law, CGS Section 53a-189d, covers AI-generated or other synthetically created intimate images, with penalties from a Class D misdemeanor to a Class D felony. From October 1, 2026, Public Act 26-55 lets a person harmed by a synthetically created intimate image sue for damages and an injunction, and the court may award attorney's fees.

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 image of a person's genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or female breast without a fully opaque covering, or of the person engaged in sexual intercourse. The offender must intentionally disseminate the image without the person's consent, knowing that the person understood it would not be shared. The person must suffer harm as a result, which can include psychological harm or serious emotional distress. The law does not apply if the person is not clearly identifiable, unless other identifying information accompanies the image.

Notably, Connecticut's law does not require proof of intent to harass. Intentional sharing without consent that causes harm 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:

  1. Preserve evidence — Document everything: screenshots, URLs, account names, timestamps, and any communications from the offender.
  2. 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.
  3. Contact the State's Attorney — Connecticut's state's attorneys handle felony prosecutions. Each judicial district has an office you can contact directly.
  4. Report to the FBI — File with the FBI IC3 for cases involving interstate distribution.
  5. Pursue civil remedies — Consult an attorney about whether a civil lawsuit for damages or an injunction is available in your situation.

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 requires covered platforms to remove qualifying intimate imagery and make reasonable efforts to remove known identical copies within 48 hours of a valid request. The platform and request must meet the law's requirements. See FTC guidance; this is not a universal service turnaround guarantee.

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 offers professional NCII removal services that file removal requests for the links in your case, report sites that ignore them to the companies they depend on, and file Google and Bing de-index requests. Follow-up continues while the content stays live. Monitoring of your names and handles is a separate Shield subscription.

See also: Pennsylvania's revenge porn law for a comparison with another Northeast state's approach.

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