Revenge Porn Laws in Michigan: What Victims Need to Know in 2026

Michigan enacted its revenge porn law in 2016, with a penalty that increases for repeat offenders. If you are a victim in Michigan, this guide covers the law and your options.

What Michigan Law Says

Michigan Penal Code Section 750.145e makes it a crime to intentionally and with the intent to threaten, coerce, or intimidate disseminate any sexually explicit visual material of another person if the other person did not consent and the person knew or should have known the other person did not consent. The person depicted must be at least 18 and identifiable, and the material must have been obtained under circumstances in which a reasonable person would know or understand that it was to remain private. Penalties are set in MCL 750.145f. A first offense is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both. A second or later offense is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Since August 2025, Public Act 11 of 2025, the protection from intimate deep fakes act, also covers sexual deepfakes. It allows a civil lawsuit and makes creating or sharing a sexual deepfake a misdemeanor, or a felony of up to 3 years in some cases, such as posting it on a website or having a prior conviction. Victims can also seek civil damages under Michigan common law theories.

What Counts as Revenge Porn in Michigan

Under Michigan law, sexually explicit visual material means a photograph or video that depicts nudity, erotic fondling, sexual intercourse, or sadomasochistic abuse. The material must have been disseminated without the depicted person's consent. The statute requires that the dissemination was intentional and done with the intent to threaten, coerce, or intimidate. The perpetrator must have known or should have known that the depicted person did not consent to the dissemination. The penalty does not depend on whether the material was posted publicly or sent privately. It depends on whether the person has a prior violation. Images that were not obtained under circumstances where a reasonable person would know they were to remain private may fall outside the statute.

How to Report

Michigan victims should take these steps to protect themselves and build a strong case. Immediately document all instances of the images by taking screenshots that show URLs, dates, the platform where images appear, and any identifying information about the poster. File a police report with your local police department or Michigan State Police post, referencing MCL 750.145e. Contact the county Prosecuting Attorney's office to discuss criminal charges and the appropriate penalty tier. Consult with a civil attorney about pursuing damages under invasion of privacy or intentional infliction of emotional distress claims. Save the link to every place the images appear and send them to us; we file the removal requests as your authorized representative, separately from the criminal case.

Limitations of Criminal Law

Michigan's intent requirement, that the dissemination must be done with intent to threaten, coerce, or intimidate, is one of the narrower standards in the country. This means that someone who shares intimate images for other reasons, such as bragging or entertainment, may not meet the statutory threshold, even though the harm to the victim is the same. First-offense penalties are relatively light at up to 93 days. Jurisdictional challenges are significant when perpetrators are in other states or content is hosted abroad. Criminal cases can take months to move through Michigan courts, and during this time, images continue to circulate. As with all states, a criminal conviction provides no mechanism for removing images from online platforms.

Removing the Content

Content removal and a criminal or civil case address different parts of the problem. 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. Eligible adults can use StopNCII themselves for participating-platform matching. For managed help with known links, review your removal scope.