Law / United States / West Virginia
SB 198 (2025), fabricated intimate image disclosure prohibition
A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.
In force since 9 July 2025.
An AI prohibited practices rule binding public and private bodies.
As of 6 September 2026.
What it requires
- Do not knowingly and intentionally disclose, cause to be disclosed, or threaten to disclose a fabricated (AI-generated or AI-altered) intimate image of an identifiable person, with intent to harass, intimidate, threaten, humiliate, embarrass, or coerce them.
- The same prohibition applies to a genuine intimate image captured under circumstances where the depicted person had a reasonable expectation it would not be publicly disclosed.
- Exceptions apply where the depicted person gave prior written consent, voluntarily exposed themselves in a public or commercial setting, or where disclosure is made through lawful reporting, a legal proceeding, or medical treatment.
- An interactive computer service, information service, or telecommunications service provider is not liable under this section for content supplied by another person.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Criminal exposure note
A first violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of $1,000 to $5,000, or both; a second or subsequent violation is a felony punishable by up to three years imprisonment, a fine of $2,500 to $10,000, or both.
What it reaches
Obligation class
Prohibition
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
Senate Bill 198 (2025) amended West Virginia's nonconsensual disclosure of private intimate images statute to add a fabricated intimate image, an image of an identifiable person that was created using artificial intelligence or other computer technology and depicts computer-generated intimate parts, or the intimate parts of another person, as that individual's own.
No person may knowingly and intentionally disclose, cause to be disclosed, or threaten to disclose a fabricated intimate image, or a genuine intimate image captured with a reasonable expectation of privacy, with intent to harass, intimidate, threaten, humiliate, embarrass, or coerce. A first violation is a misdemeanor; a second or subsequent violation is a felony.
The statute exempts images disclosed with prior written consent, images of voluntary public or commercial exposure, and disclosures made through lawful reporting, legal proceedings, or medical treatment, and it does not impose liability on an interactive computer service, information service, or telecommunications service provider for content supplied by another person.
When LexLint raises it
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Read the law
official West Virginia Code text, West Virginia Legislature website (code.wvlegislature.gov)
enacted by Senate Bill 198, 2025 Regular Session