Texans love their guns and open-carry laws, but that doesn't mean they want to see the Smith & Wesson dangling between your legs.

 

Texas has passed a law making it illegal to share unsolicited nude pics. The ban went into effect on Saturday, but is only classified as a misdemeanor. Do it and you could be fined $500.

 

The law was actually proposed by Austin-based dating app Bumble, which wanted to protect its female clients from unwanted schlongage!

 

“We spend a considerable amount of our time online -- especially younger generations and those in college -- yet the digital world has fallen short in protecting us there,” Bumble’s chief of staff Caroline Roche said. “If it’s a crime in real life, the same accountability should apply to digital interactions.”

 

The company wants to see a similar law passed on the federal level.

 

“Our team has heard countless stories about digital sexual harassment from girlfriends and coworkers who would walk through public places and get lewd photos AirDropped onto their phones,” Roche said. “When unwanted sexual photos are sent through Bumble, we ban those users right away, but that’s not enough to deter them from doing this on other platforms or in real life.”

 

 

New York City is considering its own ban. It would make it a misdemeanor “to send an unsolicited sexually explicit video or image to another person with intent to harass, annoy or alarm such other person.” Offenders could face up to a year in jail, and a fine of up to $1,000.

 

At the state or city level, enforcing the laws could be difficult. People who do not live in the specific jurisdiction, or people claiming they were hacked, would be difficult to charge.

 

There is also a concern the laws are too broad.

 

"It reaches things that arguably could cover images related to medical advice or moms sharing information about breastfeeding or their babies' health -- things like that which certainly can't be criminalised," explained Austin-based attorney J.T. Morris.

 

Rule of thumb: when in Texas, just keep it in your pants.