Scantily clad photos of your significant other stored on your phone or computer may soon land you behind bars if you’re not careful about how they are used.

On my way back from dinner one night last year, I heard yelling coming from my apartment complex’s parking lot.

When I peeked through my curtains, what I saw was a man and woman inches from one another’s face, angrily throwing their hands and raising their voices.

What I heard when I approached the fighting couple is a story people nation-wide are able to relate to and beginning to seek legal action as a result.

The woman alleged the man was her boyfriend and was threatening to post nude photos of her online in the heat of the argument.

I calmly lied and told the man it was illegal, but I was not far off from the truth.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a measure in late December making the nonconsensual distribution of private sexual images a felony offense.

The measure will take effect in June, and punishes offenders with one to three years in prison and up to a $25,000 fine for dissemination of what legislators are calling “revenge porn.”

A San Diego man was convicted just Tuesday for operating a site on which people were invited to post private sexual photos of their ex-lovers.

Furthermore, this particular site required the poster share a link to the photographed person’s Facebook page, name, address and phone numbers.

The man now faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

The discussion of free speech and expression is often uncertain in regard to the Internet.

While the immorality of “revenge porn” is clear, its unlawfulness lies in its incitement of harassment and defamation.

Private sexually explicit photographs should be treated with the same trust and consent as sexual acts themselves.

These are images intended for private use, and making them public, as well as attaching personal contact information, is both humiliating and dangerous.

Katie Smith is a senior journalism major and can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].