InForum

By Kjersti Maday

ST. PAUL — U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said the passage of the SHIELD Act gives federal law enforcement the tools needed to crack down on serious privacy violations.

During a virtual press conference on Monday, Sept. 9, Klobuchar detailed some of the resources now available because of the Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution, or SHIELD Act.

The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Klobuchar and Texas Republican John Cornyn, was passed in the Senate in July.

Klobuchar highlighted the act’s targeting of what’s known as “revenge porn,” posting explicit, private images of an ex-partner after a breakup.

The law also defends against the growing trend of “sextortion,” when someone is tricked into sharing nude images online and then forced to pay money or do favors for it not to be made public.

Klobuchar said current state laws offer incomplete and inconsistent protection for victims of non-consensual image exploitation and abuse.

“If we finally do something about this and increase enforcement, increase accountability of the platforms, we're going to see fewer Americans have their lives turned upside down, fewer children have their innocence snatched away, and more victims will be able to seek justice,” Klobuchar said during the press conference.

The legislation now heads to the U.S House.