Rep. Demetriou Champions Innocence Act in House Budget Plan

State Representative Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.) today announced that the “Innocence Act” – legislation that works to protect Ohio children from viewing obscene materials online – was included as an amendment in the House’s version of the state operating budget, which was passed today. 

“As a father to young boys, I was proud to see the House include the Innocence Act in House Bill 96,” Demetriou said. “This commonsense language will help to protect our children from obscene material online, just like we do in-person, and ensure that the distribution of nonconsensual deepfake pornography doesn’t go unpunished.”

The Innocence Act aims to protect Ohio’s minors from being exposed to inappropriate content online by requiring organizations that publish obscene content to verify the age of its users. The bill also establishes criminal penalties for deep fake pornography where a person’s image or likeness is used in sexual imagery or videos without their consent, allowing prosecutors to take action against individuals who superimpose someone’s likeness into explicit content. 

House Bill 96, the House’s version of the Budget, was passed today and now goes to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.