Vermont law punishes sexual-image threats and nonconsensual sharing

A person may not knowingly threaten to share an identifiable person’s nude or sexual image without consent to force that person to act. The image must show an identifiable person who is nude or engaged in sexual conduct, and the threat must be made without that person’s consent. Demands may involve making or sharing images, sexual conduct, another unwanted act, giving up a legal right, or giving money or something valuable. A separate rule covers certain threats meant to force someone to make or share sexual images or engage in sexual conduct, including threats to accuse them of a crime, cause injury, invite ridicule, or report their immigration status. The law takes effect July 1, 2026. The maximum prison term is three years for an adult victim, 10 years for a victim under 18, and 15 years if serious injury or death results.

A person may not knowingly share an identifiable person’s nude or sexual image without consent, intending to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten, or coerce them, if a reasonable person would suffer harm. A person may be identifiable from the image or information shared with it. Consent to making or recording an image does not by itself mean consent to share it. Sharing an image to make money carries a higher maximum penalty. A person harmed by disclosure may sue and ask a court to stop it; a court may protect their identity with a pseudonym. A website or online service may not charge the person depicted to remove, change, or refrain from posting or sharing the image. Exceptions include certain public-interest, law enforcement, legal, medical, and public-concern disclosures, and some online services hosting content provided by another person. The law takes effect July 1, 2026. Prosecution for this offense may begin within 40 years after it occurs.

A person may not intentionally view or record another person’s intimate areas or sexual conduct without their knowledge and consent in private circumstances, or conduct secret surveillance in a home or residence. Intimate areas include genitals, the pubic area, buttocks, or a female breast when naked or covered only by underwear. Privacy can apply in public or private places, depending on the circumstances. The law includes exceptions for certain law enforcement and government activities. A private investigator or security guard has a limited defense for an unintentional, incidental violation during otherwise lawful surveillance. Intentionally sharing an image recorded in violation of the rules against photographing, filming, or recording is also prohibited. The law takes effect July 1, 2026. Prosecution for specified voyeurism involving recording or sharing images may begin within 40 years after the offense.

Prosecution for specified voyeurism, sharing sexual images without consent, and sexual extortion may begin within 40 years after the offense. The deadline covers the offenses listed in the law, including specified voyeurism, disclosure of sexually explicit images without consent, and sexual extortion. The law takes effect July 1, 2026. The 40-year period runs from the date of the offense.