RCW 7.110.010
Definitions.
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Child" means an unemancipated individual who is less than 18 years of age.
(2) "Consent" means affirmative, conscious, and voluntary authorization by an individual with legal capacity to give authorization.
(3) "Depicted individual" means an individual whose body is shown in whole or in part in an intimate image or a fabricated intimate image.
(4) "Digitization" means creating or altering an image of a person in a realistic manner by utilizing images of another person or computer-generated images, regardless of whether such creation or alteration is accomplished manually or through an automated process. "Digitization" includes, but is not limited to, creating or altering an image with the use of artificial intelligence.
(5) "Disclosing" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 9A.86.010
. "Disclosure" has the same meaning as "disclosing."
(6) "Fabricated intimate image" means any photograph, motion picture film, videotape, digital image or video, or any other recording or visual depiction of an identifiable depicted individual that was created or altered by digitization and that depicts:
(a) Computer-generated intimate body parts or the intimate body parts of another human being as the intimate body parts of the depicted individual, whether nude or visible through less than opaque clothing and including the genitals, pubic area, anus, or postpubescent female nipple; or
(b) The depicted individual engaging in sexual activity, including masturbation, sexual contact, or sexual intercourse, as those terms are defined in RCW 9A.44.010, in which the depicted individual did not engage.
(7) "Harm" includes physical harm, economic harm, and emotional distress whether or not accompanied by physical or economic harm.
(8) "Identifiable" means recognizable by a person other than the depicted individual:
(a) From an intimate image or fabricated intimate image itself; or
(b) From an intimate image or fabricated intimate image and identifying characteristic displayed in connection with the intimate image.
(9) "Identifying characteristic" means information that may be used to identify a depicted individual.
(10) "Individual" means a human being.
(11) "Intimate image" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 9A.86.010
.
(12) "Parent" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 26.26A.010
.
(13) "Person" means an individual, estate, business or nonprofit entity, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency or instrumentality, or other legal entity.
(14) "Private" means:
(a) Created or obtained under circumstances in which a depicted individual had a reasonable expectation of privacy; or
(b) Made accessible through theft, bribery, extortion, fraud, false pretenses, voyeurism, or exceeding authorized access to an account, message, file, device, resource, or property.
[
2024 c 88 s 10
;
2023 c 65 s 2
.]
RCW 7.110.020
Civil cause of action.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in RCW 7.110.030, a depicted individual who is identifiable and who suffers harm from a person's intentional disclosure or threatened disclosure of an intimate image that was private without the depicted individual's consent has a cause of action against the person if the person knew or acted with reckless disregard for whether:
(a) The depicted individual did not consent to the disclosure;
(b) The intimate image was private; and
(c) The depicted individual was identifiable.
(2) The following conduct by a depicted individual does not establish by itself that the individual consented to the disclosure of the intimate image which is the subject of an action under this chapter or that the individual lacked a reasonable expectation of privacy:
(a) Consent to creation of the image; or
(b) Previous consensual disclosure of the image.
(3) A depicted individual who does not consent to the uncovering of the part of the body depicted in an intimate image of the individual retains a reasonable expectation of privacy even if the image was created when the individual was in a public place.
[
2024 c 88 s 11
;
2023 c 65 s 3
.]
RCW 7.110.025
Civil cause of action
—
Consent.
(1) A depicted individual who is identifiable and who suffers harm from a person's intentional disclosure or threatened disclosure of a fabricated intimate image without the depicted individual's consent has a cause of action against the person if the person knew or acted with reckless disregard for whether:
(a) The depicted individual did not consent to the disclosure; and
(b) The depicted individual was identifiable.
(2)(a) A depicted individual's consent to the creation of the fabricated intimate image does not by itself establish that the depicted individual consented to its disclosure.
(b) Consent is deemed validly given only if:
(i) It is set forth in an agreement written in plain language signed knowingly and voluntarily by the depicted individual; and
(ii) It includes a general description of the fabricated intimate image and, if applicable, the audiovisual work into which it will be incorporated.
(3) It is not a defense to an action under this section that there is a disclaimer stating that the fabricated intimate image of the depicted individual was unauthorized or that the depicted individual did not participate in the creation or development of the fabricated intimate image.
[
2024 c 88 s 12
.]
RCW 7.110.030
Exceptions to liability.
(1) A person is not liable under this chapter if the person proves that disclosure of, or a threat to disclose, an intimate image or fabricated intimate image was:
(a) Made in good faith in:
(i) Law enforcement activities;
(ii) A legal proceeding; or
(iii) Medical education or treatment;
(b) Made in good faith in the reporting or investigation of:
(i) Unlawful conduct; or
(ii) Unsolicited and unwelcome conduct;
(c) Related to a matter of public concern or public interest; or
(d) Reasonably intended to assist the depicted individual.
(2) In an action brought under RCW 7.110.020
and subject to subsection (3) of this section, a defendant who is a parent, legal guardian, or individual with legal custody of a child is not liable under this chapter for a disclosure or threatened disclosure of an intimate image, as defined in RCW 7.110.010
(11), of the child.
(3) If a defendant asserts an exception to liability under subsection (2) of this section, the exception does not apply if the plaintiff proves the disclosure was:
(a) Prohibited by law other than this chapter; or
(b) Made for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, humiliation, degradation, or monetary or commercial gain.
(4) Disclosure of, or a threat to disclose, an intimate image or fabricated intimate image is not a matter of public concern or public interest solely because the depicted individual is a public figure.
(5) A person is not liable in an action brought under RCW 7.110.025
if the fabricated intimate image is commentary, criticism, or disclosure protected by the Washington state Constitution or the United States Constitution.
[
2024 c 88 s 13
;
2023 c 65 s 4
.]
RCW 7.110.040
Plaintiff may use pseudonym.
In an action under this chapter a plaintiff may proceed using a pseudonym in place of the true name of the plaintiff under applicable state law or procedural rule.
[
2023 c 65 s 5
.]
RCW 7.110.050
Remedies.
(1) In an action under this chapter, a prevailing plaintiff may recover:
(a) The greater of:
(i) Economic and noneconomic damages proximately caused by the defendant's disclosure or threatened disclosure, including damages for emotional distress whether or not accompanied by other damages; or
(ii) Statutory damages not to exceed $10,000 against each defendant found liable under this chapter for all disclosures and threatened disclosures by the defendant of which the plaintiff knew or reasonably should have known when filing the action or which became known during the pendency of the action. In determining the amount of statutory damages under this subsection (1)(a)(ii), consideration must be given to the age of the parties at the time of the disclosure or threatened disclosure, the number of disclosures or threatened disclosures made by the defendant, the breadth of distribution of the intimate image or fabricated intimate image by the defendant, and other exacerbating or mitigating factors;
(b) An amount equal to any monetary gain made by the defendant from disclosure of the intimate image or fabricated intimate image; and
(c) Punitive damages in an amount not to exceed three times the amount of damages under (a) of this subsection.
(2) In an action under this chapter, the court may award a prevailing plaintiff:
(a) Reasonable attorneys' fees and costs; and
(b) Additional relief, including injunctive relief.
(3) This chapter does not affect a right or remedy available under law of this state other than this chapter.
[
2024 c 88 s 14
;
2023 c 65 s 6
.]
RCW 7.110.060
Statute of limitations.
(1) An action under RCW 7.110.020
or
7.110.025
for:
(a) An unauthorized disclosure may not be brought later than four years from the date the disclosure was discovered or should have been discovered with the exercise of reasonable diligence; and
(b) A threat to disclose may not be brought later than four years from the date of the threat to disclose.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (3) of this section, this section is subject to the tolling statutes of this state.
(3) In an action under RCW 7.110.020
or
7.110.025
by a depicted individual who was a minor on the date of the disclosure or threat to disclose, the time specified in subsection (1) of this section does not begin to run until the depicted individual attains the age of majority.
[
2024 c 88 s 15
;
2023 c 65 s 7
.]
RCW 7.110.900
Short title.
This chapter may be known and cited as the uniform civil remedies for unauthorized disclosure of intimate images act.
[
2023 c 65 s 1
.]
RCW 7.110.901
Construction
—
Communications decency act of 1996.
This chapter must be construed to be consistent with the communications decency act of 1996, 47 U.S.C. Sec. 230.
[
2023 c 65 s 8
.]
RCW 7.110.902
Uniformity of application and construction.
In applying and construing this uniform act, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among states that enact it.
[
2023 c 65 s 9
.]