ORLANDO,Fla. – Imagine sharing intimate photos with a spouse or a girlfriend or boyfriend.
Now, fast- forward a few years and you realize that perfect relationship just didn't work out. What happens to all those pictures after the break-up?
More and more men and women are discovering their angry ex has posted those intimate shots on so called "Revenge Porn" websites.
If you think that's illegal, guess again. Only California and New Jersey have a law banning the posts. That's right, in Florida it's perfectly legal.
Miami School of Law professor, Mary Anne Franks says some First Amendment hard liners may object to a law that bans the posting of intimate photographs, but she says ,the law hasn't "caught up with technology."
Franks is consulting with lawmakers in 7 states including Florida, to craft legislation that would make the act a criminal offense.
"You have to go after a very narrow kind of conduct," Franks said. "But there is no reason to think that there is a constitutionally protected right to use someone's sexually graphic images without their consent."
30-year-old Holly Thometz changed her name to Holly Jacobs and left her job as a college professor when she discovered 30 to 40 of her nude photos and videos had been posted on hundreds of websites. The PhD was a graduate student when she shared the material in a long distance relationship with her boyfriend, Ryan Seay.
In December 2008 they broke- up. Jacobs says a few weeks after the break-up a nude photo showed up on her Facebook profile.
"Of course it's completely devastating," a tearful Jacobs said. "You can't even explain it… it's technological rape."
Seay denies any connection, in fact , he's convinced his computer may have been hacked. In an email to Local 6 he writes, "It's hard to know who or how our privacy was breached, we both had access to the pictures."
No matter who was behind the posting, Jacobs is going public to convince lawmakers no one has the right to post intimate photos or video without that person's consent.
State Sen. David Simmons of Altamonte Springs and Rep. Tom Goodson of Titusville have been in contact with Jacobs and Franks. Both lawmakers feel a law is needed . They expect to file legislation very soon. Tell me what you think at mholfeld@wkmg.com.
For more information about Holly Jacobs go to: www.endrevengeporn.org.
To see a full interview with Jacobs, click here.