Publishing revenge porn is about to become a criminal offence in the UK, with offenders facing up to two years in jail. The new law, which is currently going through Parliament, covers any private sexual image or video of an individual that is circulated without their consent for the purpose of causing distress. Basically, this is a Good Thing – and it's also long overdue. 

The legislation applies to images posted on social media like Facebook and Twitter, as well as those shared via email, text message, website or distribution of physical copies. It's a huge success for campaigners who argued that revenge porn should be made a specific offence. Previously, the act was seen to be covered by existing laws against obscenity or blackmail.

Justice secretary Chris Grayling said: "The fact that there are individuals who are cruelly distributing intimate pictures of their former partners without their consent is almost beyond belief."

"We want those who fall victim to this type of disgusting behaviour to know that we are on their side and will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice. That is why we will change the law and make it absolutely clear to those who act in this way that they could face prison."

Only eight police forces in England and Wales collect data on the phenomenon. In the last two and a half years, there have been 149 cases related to revenge porn, but only six have resulted in a caution or charge. The vast majority of those affected were women. Hopefully, the new legislation will enable more victims to come forward to seek justice. 

Issues of consent and internet privacy have been widely discussed since hackers leaked private images of over a hundred female celebrities. One of the victims, Jennifer Lawrence, called for it to be labelled as a sex crime. 

"It's disgusting," she said in an interview with Vanity Fair. "The law needs to be changed, and we need to change." 

The Snappening – as it's been dubbed – has dragged the whole sordid phenomenon of hacked nude images back into the spotlight. Over the weekend, hackers made good on their threat to release hundreds of thousands of private and sexually explicit Snapchat images and video, many of them featuring teenagers.

Hopefully, the new revenge porn law will add an extra impetus for authorities to deal with anybody who decides it's OK to broadcast someone else's private images – whether they're a hacker, an ex-partner or an ex-boyfriend.