Connecticut · House Bill · February Session, 2024
HB5421
Connecticut Substitute Bill No. 5421 — An Act Concerning Unlawful Dissemination of Intimate Images That Are Digitally Altered or Created Through the Use of Artificial Intelligence

Status ● Failed Effective N/A Passage Likelihood N/A

WHAT THIS BILL REGULATES · 1 REQUIREMENT TYPE

How Is This Bill Enforced

Enforcement Authority
Criminal enforcement. The offense of unlawful dissemination of an intimate image is a class A misdemeanor when disseminated to one person and a class D felony when disseminated to more than one person via an interactive computer service, information service, or telecommunications service. Enforcement is through the criminal justice system via prosecution. No private right of action is created.
Private Right of Action
No private right of action. Enforcement is exclusive to the designated authority.
Penalties
Criminal penalties only. Class A misdemeanor for dissemination to one person; class D felony for dissemination to more than one person via an interactive computer service, information service, or telecommunications service. No civil damages, injunctive relief, or attorney fees provisions are established by this bill.

What This Bill Requires

Verbatim statutory text on the left; plain-language analysis and a per-section checklist on the right. Numbered markers cross-link to the matching checklist row.

Statutory Text
Analysis & Obligations
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c
Unlawful dissemination of an intimate image — expansion to AI-generated and digitally altered images
Publisher

(a) 1 A person is guilty of unlawful dissemination of an intimate image when (1) such person intentionally disseminatesDisseminate"Disseminate" means to sell, give, provide, lend, trade, mail, deliver, transfer, publish, distribute, circulate, present, exhibit, advertise or otherwise offer.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(1) by electronic or other means a photograph, film, videotape or other recorded image, including any digitally altered image or image created through the use of artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"Artificial intelligence" means any technology, including, but not limited to, machine learning, that uses data to train an algorithm or predictive model for the purpose of enabling a computer system or service to autonomously perform any task, including, but not limited to, visual perception, language processing or speech recognition, that is normally associated with human intelligence or perception.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(4) that depicts the likeness of a personLikeness of a person"Likeness of a person" means an image that closely resembles a living, identifiable person.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(3), of (A) the genitals, pubic area or buttocks of another person with less than a fully opaque covering of such body part, or the breast of such other person who is female with less than a fully opaque covering of any portion of such breast below the top of the nipple, or (B) another person engaged in sexual intercourse, as defined in section 53a-193, (2) such person disseminatesDisseminate"Disseminate" means to sell, give, provide, lend, trade, mail, deliver, transfer, publish, distribute, circulate, present, exhibit, advertise or otherwise offer.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(1) such image without the consent of such other person, knowing that such other person understood that the image would not be so disseminated, and (3) such other person suffers harmHarm"Harm" includes, but is not limited to, subjecting such other person to hatred, contempt, ridicule, physical injury, financial injury, psychological harm or serious emotional distress.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(2) as a result of such dissemination.

(b)(1)–(4) For purposes of this section: (1) "DisseminateDisseminate"Disseminate" means to sell, give, provide, lend, trade, mail, deliver, transfer, publish, distribute, circulate, present, exhibit, advertise or otherwise offer.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(1)" means to sell, give, provide, lend, trade, mail, deliver, transfer, publish, distribute, circulate, present, exhibit, advertise or otherwise offer; (2) "HarmHarm"Harm" includes, but is not limited to, subjecting such other person to hatred, contempt, ridicule, physical injury, financial injury, psychological harm or serious emotional distress.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(2)" includes, but is not limited to, subjecting such other person to hatred, contempt, ridicule, physical injury, financial injury, psychological harmHarm"Harm" includes, but is not limited to, subjecting such other person to hatred, contempt, ridicule, physical injury, financial injury, psychological harm or serious emotional distress.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(2) or serious emotional distress; (3) "Likeness of a personLikeness of a person"Likeness of a person" means an image that closely resembles a living, identifiable person.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(3)" means an image that closely resembles a living, identifiable person; and (4) "Artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"Artificial intelligence" means any technology, including, but not limited to, machine learning, that uses data to train an algorithm or predictive model for the purpose of enabling a computer system or service to autonomously perform any task, including, but not limited to, visual perception, language processing or speech recognition, that is normally associated with human intelligence or perception.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(4)" means any technology, including, but not limited to, machine learning, that uses data to train an algorithm or predictive model for the purpose of enabling a computer system or service to autonomously perform any task, including, but not limited to, visual perception, language processing or speech recognition, that is normally associated with human intelligence or perception.

(c) The provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to: (1) Any image described in subsection (a) of this section of such other person if such image resulted from voluntary exposure or engagement in sexual intercourse by such other person, in a public place, as defined in section 53a-181, or in a commercial setting; (2) Any image described in subsection (a) of this section of such other person, if such other person is not clearly identifiable, unless other personally identifying information is associated with or accompanies the image; or (3) Any image described in subsection (a) of this section of such other person, if the dissemination of such image serves the public interest.

(d) Unlawful dissemination of an intimate image to (1) a person by any means is a class A misdemeanor, and (2) more than one person by means of an interactive computer service, as defined in 47 USC 230, an information service, as defined in 47 USC 153, or a telecommunications service, as defined in section 16-247a, is a class D felony.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to impose liability on the provider of an interactive computer service, as defined in 47 USC 230, an information service, as defined in 47 USC 153, or a telecommunications service, as defined in section 16-247a, for content provided by another person.

This section amends Connecticut's existing criminal prohibition on non-consensual dissemination of intimate images to cover images that are digitally altered or created through the use of artificial intelligence and that depict the likeness of a person. The core criminal conduct remains intentional, non-consensual dissemination of intimate imagery where the depicted person suffers harm — the amendment extends coverage from purely photographic or recorded images to AI-generated synthetic depictions of identifiable individuals.

The section adds new definitions for likeness of a person and artificial intelligence, reorganizes existing definitions, preserves three existing exceptions (voluntary public exposure, non-identifiable subjects, and public-interest dissemination), and maintains the existing penalty structure: class A misdemeanor for dissemination to one person and class D felony for mass dissemination via an interactive computer service. A savings clause shields interactive computer service, information service, and telecommunications service providers from liability for third-party content.

Compliance actions 1 item
1
A person must not intentionally disseminateDisseminate"Disseminate" means to sell, give, provide, lend, trade, mail, deliver, transfer, publish, distribute, circulate, present, exhibit, advertise or otherwise offer.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(1), by electronic or other means, any digitally altered image or image created through the use of artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"Artificial intelligence" means any technology, including, but not limited to, machine learning, that uses data to train an algorithm or predictive model for the purpose of enabling a computer system or service to autonomously perform any task, including, but not limited to, visual perception, language processing or speech recognition, that is normally associated with human intelligence or perception.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(4) that depicts the likeness of an identifiable person in intimate or sexually explicit circumstances without that person's consent where the depicted person suffers harmHarm"Harm" includes, but is not limited to, subjecting such other person to hatred, contempt, ridicule, physical injury, financial injury, psychological harm or serious emotional distress.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(b)(2). Exceptions apply for voluntary public exposure, non-identifiable subjects, and public-interest dissemination.
CP-02.1

Passage Likelihood

Failed
Status Failed
Final action File Number 515

Legislative History

2024-03-06 Referred to Joint Committee on Judiciary
2024-03-07 Public Hearing 03/11
2024-03-28 Joint Favorable
2024-04-01 Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office
2024-04-09 Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/15/24 5:00 PM
2024-04-16 Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
2024-04-16 Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House
2024-04-16 House Calendar Number 353
2024-04-16 File Number 515

Entry Last Reviewed

2026-05-20
AI generated