SB 25-288

Senate Bill 25-288, titled "Intimate Digital Depictions Criminal & Civil Actions," aims to protect individuals from the nonconsensual distribution of digitally altered or created intimate images. It makes it illegal for someone to share or threaten to share a false but realistic digital image that depicts another person's private body parts or sexual acts without their consent and with knowledge that this could cause severe emotional distress. The bill also updates criminal laws related to child exploitation by including computer-generated images of children. If someone violates these rules, they can face civil penalties such as financial damages and legal fees, and in some cases, criminal charges up to a class 6 felony if the act poses an imminent threat to safety. The bill has been signed into law, meaning its provisions are now enforceable by Colorado courts and law enforcement.

Official Summary

The act creates a cause of action against a person who discloses or threatens to disclose a highly realistic but false visual depiction of another individual (depicted individual) that has been created, altered, or produced by generative AI, image editing software, or computer-generated means and that depicts the intimate body parts of the depicted individual or certain sexual acts involving the depicted individual (intimate digital depiction). A depicted individual who has suffered harm from the nonconsensual disclosure or threatened disclosure of an intimate digital depiction has a cause of action against the person who disclosed or threatened to disclose the intimate digital depiction if the person knew or acted with reckless disregard for whether the depicted individual: Did not consent to the disclosure; Would experience severe emotional distress due to the disclosure or threatened disclosure; and Was identifiable. The act creates an exception to its civil liability provisions for a provider of the technology used to create an intimate digital depiction. Other exceptions include disclosures related to matters of public concern, parody, satire, and impersonation; disclosures made in good faith in various circumstances; and broadcasts of third-party content under certain conditions. A successful plaintiff may recover the defendant's monetary gain from the intimate digital depiction; either actual damages or liquidated damages of $150,000; exemplary damages; and litigation costs, including reasonable attorney fees. A court may also order the defendant to cease disclosure of the intimate digital depiction. In the context of the criminal law punishing sexual exploitation of a child, the act updates the definition of "sexually exploitative material" to include realistic computer-generated digital depictions that depict an identifiable child. The act changes the criminal offenses of posting a private image for harassment and posting a private image for pecuniary gain to the related offenses of disclosing a private intimate image or intimate digital depiction for the same purposes. A person who is eighteen years of age or older commits disclosure of a private intimate image or intimate digital depiction for harassment or for pecuniary gain if the person discloses or threatens to disclose a private intimate image or intimate digital depiction without consent. The harassment offense now requires that the disclosure or threatened disclosure cause physical, emotional, or reputational harm to the depicted individual. Like the offenses for posting a private image in current law, disclosing a private intimate image or intimate digital depiction is a class 1 misdemeanor; except that the act increases the penalty to a class 6 felony if the person made the disclosure and the disclosure posed an imminent and serious threat to the safety of the depicted individual or the depicted individual's immediate family and the person knew or reasonably should have known of the imminent and serious threat. The act changes the offenses of posting, possessing, or exchanging a private image by a juvenile to the related offenses of disclosing, possessing, or exchanging a private intimate image or intimate digital depiction by a juvenile. The penalties remain the same. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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