Revenge Porn Laws in North Carolina: What Victims Need to Know in 2026

North Carolina has one of the tougher revenge porn statutes in the country, classifying the offense as a felony from the first offense when the offender is an adult. If you are a victim in North Carolina, here is what the law provides and how to take action.

What North Carolina Law Says

North Carolina General Statute 14-190.5A, the disclosure of private images statute, was enacted in 2015 and amended in 2017 and 2024. It makes it a crime to knowingly disclose an image of an identifiable person whose intimate parts are exposed or who is engaged in sexual conduct, with intent to coerce, harass, intimidate, demean, humiliate, or cause financial loss to that person, when the person did not affirmatively consent to the disclosure. For an offender 18 or older it is a Class H felony. For an offender under 18, a first offense is a Class 1 misdemeanor and a second or later offense is a Class H felony. Under North Carolina's sentencing chart, a defendant with no prior record faces a minimum term of four to eight months and a maximum of up to 19 months, and the court may impose community, intermediate, or active punishment. Defendants with prior records face longer terms. The felony classification for adult offenders makes North Carolina one of the stricter states. The statute also gives victims a civil action for actual damages of at least $1,000 per day of violation or $10,000, whichever is higher, plus punitive damages and attorney fees. The civil action must be filed within one year of discovering the disclosure and no later than seven years after the most recent disclosure.

What Counts as Revenge Porn in North Carolina

The statute covers images depicting another person engaged in sexual conduct or showing exposed intimate parts (genitals, pubic area, anus, or a female nipple). It also covers realistic images created or altered with technology such as AI. The image must have been obtained or created without the person's consent, or under circumstances where the discloser knew or should have known the person expected it to remain private. The disclosure must be knowing, meaning the person distributing the image was aware of what they were sharing. The depicted person must not have affirmatively consented to the disclosure. The state must also prove intent to coerce, harass, intimidate, demean, humiliate, or cause financial loss to the depicted person, or to cause others to do so. Images involving voluntary exposure in public or commercial settings are not covered.

How to Report

North Carolina victims should take immediate and thorough action. Document every instance of the images online, taking screenshots with visible URLs and timestamps. File a police report with your local police department or county sheriff's office, referencing N.C.G.S. 14-190.5A. Contact the District Attorney's office in your county to discuss prosecution as a Class H felony. Consult with an attorney about civil claims for invasion of privacy and emotional distress damages. Preserve all communications with the perpetrator, including texts, emails, and social media messages. If the images are on websites or social media platforms, save the exact links and send them to us; we file the removal requests as your authorized representative.

Limitations of Criminal Law

Although North Carolina's felony classification signals the seriousness of the offense, the criminal justice process still takes considerable time. Investigations must be completed, warrants obtained, and cases moved through the court system, a process that can take many months. During this time, images remain online and may be copied and redistributed. Jurisdictional challenges arise when perpetrators are in other states or when content is hosted internationally. The state must prove the disclosure was knowing, without consent, and made with one of the intents the statute lists, such as intent to harass or humiliate. A criminal conviction, including prison time, does not result in automatic content removal from the internet.

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.