Digital Sexual Abuse!
Deepfakes, Leaked Nudes, and NJ Law.- By Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez.- aswramirez@njleg.org
Are New Jersey’s Laws Protecting Women Enough?
In an age where artificial intelligence can generate lifelike images in seconds, a new wave of sexual abuse has emerged, one that doesn’t require physical contact, but causes deep psychological, emotional, and reputational harm.
We’re talking about deepfake pornography, AI-generated images and videos that depict a person, almost always a woman, in sexually explicit scenarios that are completely fabricated. These digital assaults often accompany what we’ve long referred to as “revenge porn,” the non-consensual sharing of real intimate photos or videos.
As both an attorney and an Assemblywoman, I’ve seen how these acts are used to humiliate, intimidate, and silence women, especially those daring to step into public life. In too many cases, the law hasn’t caught up.
The New Face of Sexual Violence
Make no mistake, this is a form of sexual violence. We need to stop calling it “revenge porn.” That term trivializes the trauma and suggests the victim did something to deserve retaliation. Let’s name it for what it is: digital sexual assault. Women have lost jobs, seen campaigns derailed, been harassed out of schools, and forced offline entirely because someone manipulated an image, hit “send,” and watched the fallout.
Young women are particularly vulnerable, so are teenagers, and so are women running for office. That’s why I introduced Assembly Bill A5250 in New Jersey: legislation that imposes additional penalties for invasion of privacy when sexually explicit images, real or AI-generated, are leaked about a political candidate. Because when women are attacked with fake nudes just for running, it’s not just personal, it’s political. It’s about power and silencing.
We don’t have to look far to see how real the threat is. In Florida this summer, Lindsey Langston, a GOP committee member and former Miss United States, filed a police complaint alleging her ex-partner, Congressman Cory Mills, threatened to release nude images and videos of her after their breakup. She says the threats extended to warning off any future romantic partners. Mills denies the accusations, but the case shows how digital sexual abuse can be weaponized to control and humiliate women in public life.
Where New Jersey Stands
New Jersey has taken steps to address non-consensual pornography, but like many states, our statutes were not designed for the speed and scale of AI.
Currently, sharing real explicit images without consent is a crime in NJ (N.J.S.A. 2C:14-9). Victims can seek civil damages under the state’s invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress laws. But here’s the gap: AI-generated deepfakes that appear real exist in a legal gray zone. Prosecutors often hesitate to bring charges unless the image is provably real. Civil suits are costly and emotionally draining, and most perpetrators remain anonymous online.
And the harm is already here. At Westfield High School, a 15-year-old girl filed a lawsuit against a male classmate who allegedly created and shared AI-generated pornographic images of her and other female students. The fabricated images spread through Instagram, devastating reputations and leaving young victims to carry trauma that no teenager should face.
In response to rising cases like this, New Jersey passed a strong anti-deepfake law in April 2025. The law makes it a crime to create or distribute deceptive AI sexual images, with penalties ranging from up to 18 months to five years in prison, alongside steep fines. It also empowers victims to bring civil lawsuits for damages, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees, critical in a world where justice often feels financially out of reach.
Why My Bill Matters
Assembly Bill A5250 builds on this momentum by going further: explicitly treating AI-generated sexual images as violations of privacy and enhancing penalties when the target is a political candidate. Because democracy depends on equal participation, free from threats and digital sexual violence. This bill is not just about women in politics, it’s about every woman with a phone, a profile, and a right to exist online without fear.
What Needs to Happen Next
We’re only at the beginning of the deepfake era. That means lawmakers, judges, and tech companies must act quickly to expand legal definitions of sexual assault and abuse to include digital impersonation and AI-generated content. Programs must be created to fund tech literacy and privacy education for teens and young adults. It is also imperative that we protect the anonymity and safety of victims who want to seek justice without further harm.
From high school hallways to the halls of Congress, the message is the same: digital sexual abuse is real, it is here, and it is devastating lives. If we don’t act now, we’re sending a message that women’s bodies, real or faked, are fair game for political takedowns, harassment, and abuse.
That message must be rejected. We need laws that reflect the world we live in. A woman shouldn’t have to prove a photo is fake to be taken seriously. Silence is no longer an option. Justice must evolve.
