HB161 Alabama 2024 Session

Updated Feb 23, 2026

High Interest

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Parker MooreRepresentative
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2024
Title: Crimes & offenses, prohibits a person from creating a private image without consent
Summary: HB161 makes it illegal to create or share a private image of someone without their consent, and it defines what counts as a private image.
What This Bill Does
It makes it illegal to knowingly create, record, or alter a private image without the depicted person's consent when they had a reasonable expectation of privacy, and it also makes it illegal to knowingly distribute such an image. It defines private image to include sexual content and manipulated images, and clarifies when a person would or would not have a reasonable expectation of privacy. It assigns penalties (Class A misdemeanor for violations, Class C felony on subsequent offenses), provides a public-interest defense, and includes protections for internet service providers and technology developers from liability for merely transmitting or enabling access; the law takes effect October 1, 2024.

Who It Affects
Individuals depicted in images, who have privacy expectations and must consent to creation or transmission for the image not to be criminalized.
People who create, record, alter, or distribute private images without consent, who could face criminal charges (Class A misdemeanor initially; Class C felony on subsequent offenses).
Internet service providers and technology developers, who are protected from liability merely for transmitting or enabling access to private images or related content.

Key Provisions
Prohibits knowingly creating, recording, or altering a private image without consent when the depicted person had a reasonable privacy expectation, and prohibits knowingly distributing such a private image.
Defines 'private image' to include sexual content and edited/manipulated recordings, establishes jurisdiction rules, defenses (public interest), and sets penalties (Class A misdemeanor; Class C felony on subsequent adjudication/conviction) along with protections for providers and developers.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Crimes & Offenses