Coco's Law in Ireland: Image-Based Abuse Offences, Penalties and Reporting

Coco's Law is the popular name for the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020. It made it a criminal offence in Ireland to share, or threaten to share, an intimate image of someone without their consent, and it came into force on 10 February 2021.

The Act also created an offence of sending threatening or grossly offensive communications, widened the offence of harassment, and gave victims of image-based abuse anonymity once a person is charged. This page explains each offence, the penalties, how to report, and where the law stands on AI-generated deepfakes.

Information last verified on 26 October 2026. This page is general legal information for the Republic of Ireland, not legal advice.

What is Coco's Law?

The Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 (No. 32 of 2020) is known as Coco's Law. It was signed on 28 December 2020, and S.I. No. 53 of 2021 brought the whole Act into operation on 10 February 2021.

The Act has not been textually amended in its core offences. The only change listed on the Irish Statute Book is a new section 5(7), inserted by the Domestic Violence Judgments Register Act 2026, which has not yet been commenced.

The main parts of the Act are:

The Act states fines by class rather than in euro. Under the Fines Act 2010 a class A fine is up to €5,000 and a class B fine is up to €4,000.

What counts as an intimate image?

Section 1 defines an intimate image as any visual representation, including any accompanying sound or document, made by any means, including a photograph, film, video or digital representation:

• of what is, or purports to be, the person's genitals, buttocks or anal region and, in the case of a female, her breasts;
• of the underwear covering those areas;
• in which the person is nude; or
• in which the person is engaged in sexual activity.

"Distribute" means distributing to the public or a section of the public. "Harm" includes psychological harm.

The section 2 offence: sharing or threatening to share with intent or recklessness

Under section 2, a person commits an offence if they distribute, publish, or threaten to distribute or publish, an intimate image of another person without that person's consent, and with intent to cause them harm or being reckless as to whether harm is caused.

Intent is not essential. Recklessness about harm is enough. A threat to share is itself an offence under section 2, even if no image is ever sent.

Section 2 can be tried either summarily in the District Court, with a maximum of a class A fine or 12 months, or on indictment, with a maximum of an unlimited fine or 7 years' imprisonment, or both.

The section 3 offence: recording or sharing without consent

Section 3 does not require any intent. A person commits an offence if they record, distribute or publish an intimate image of another person without consent, and this seriously interferes with that person's peace and privacy or causes alarm, distress or harm.

Section 3 is the only offence in the Act that covers recording an image. It does not cover threats. It is a summary offence only, with a maximum of a class A fine (up to €5,000), 12 months' imprisonment, or both.

There is a narrow carve-out in section 3(2) for distributing or publishing an image for the purposes of preventing, investigating or prosecuting an offence under section 3. The Act does not define consent and section 2 has no general "reasonable excuse" defence.

For the separate rules on cameras and recordings in everyday settings, see home CCTV and doorbell cameras and recording phone calls.

Threatening or grossly offensive communications and harassment

Section 4 makes it an offence to distribute, publish or send a threatening or grossly offensive communication, with intent to cause harm. On summary conviction the maximum is a class A fine or 6 months; on indictment, a fine or 2 years.

Section 10 of Coco's Law amends the harassment offence in section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997. Section 10 of the 1997 Act was later substituted in full by section 23 of the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2023 from 1 November 2023. The current section still lists communicating with or about a person among the acts that can amount to harassment, adds a separate offence of stalking, and keeps the same maximum penalties. The maximum is a class A fine or 12 months on summary conviction, or a fine or 10 years on indictment.

Section 4 is sometimes described online as the harassment section. It is not: harassment is dealt with in section 10.

Anonymity for victims

Once a person is charged with an offence under section 2 or section 3, section 5 makes it an offence to publish or broadcast any information, photograph or other representation of the alleged victim that is likely to identify them.

A judge may direct otherwise where the interests of justice require it, having taken into account the views of the alleged victim. The maximum penalty for breaching anonymity is a class B fine or 12 months on summary conviction, or a fine or 3 years on indictment.

Anonymity applies only to section 2 and section 3 offences, and only from the point a person is charged. It does not apply to the section 4 offence.

Other procedural rules

• Time limit. Under section 7, summary proceedings can be brought at any time within 2 years from the date of the offence, longer than the usual 6 months for summary offences.
• Child accused. Under section 8, where a child under 17 is charged, no further proceedings, other than a remand in custody or on bail, can be taken without the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
• Bail. Section 9 adds the section 2 offence to the Schedule to the Bail Act 1997.
• Domestic violence. Section 11 makes section 2 and section 3 offences "relevant offences" for section 40 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018.
• Companies. Section 6 provides for the liability of company officers.

How to report image-based abuse

An Garda Síochána has partnered with Hotline.ie to provide an online reporting facility for intimate image abuse. A victim can report to the Gardaí through the Hotline.ie website and, at the same time, make a request to have the content removed. Where the victim asks for it, the Gardaí investigate, while Hotline.ie engages with the relevant service provider to seek removal.

The Garda advice includes:

• do not pay anyone who is threatening to share an image;
• save evidence, including screenshots and the web addresses where the content appears; and
• you can also report at any Garda station.

You can report anonymously through Garda Confidential on 1800 666 111. If you are in danger, call 999 or 112.

What Coimisiún na Meán does

As enacted, the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 lists content that is an offence under sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 of Coco's Law among the categories of harmful online content in its online safety framework.

Coimisiún na Meán says it does not have the power to remove illegal or harmful content from the internet immediately. Its role is to make sure the online services it regulates follow the rules and that their reporting functions work. In practice, removal requests go through the platform, Hotline.ie or the Gardaí.

If an image or post also misuses your personal data, a separate complaint route is set out on the DPC complaint page. For false statements published online, see online defamation.

How often is Coco's Law used?

The Department of Justice published a review of the Act, which section 12 required within 3 years. It said the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions had taken a total of 99 cases under section 2, 3 or 4 between commencement and the end of 2023.

Does Coco's Law cover AI deepfakes?

This is not settled. The definition of an intimate image includes an image of what "is, or purports to be" a person's intimate parts, which may be read broadly. However, the explanatory memorandum to a 2026 private members' Bill states the sponsors' view that the definition does not extend to fake images of identifiable people generated by computer software. No court decision resolving the question was found.

The following Bills on this subject are before the Oireachtas. None has been enacted, and none of them is law:

All four are private members' Bills. Separately, a Department of Justice press release of 17 July 2026 reported Government approval to draft legislation on extreme or violent pornography, including material created with technology that appears to depict real people, to complement the Coco's Law offences. That is an approval to draft, not a published Bill.

For more on data protection, recording and privacy law, see the Irish data protection section or the main Ireland laws page.

This page is general information about the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 in the Republic of Ireland, not legal advice. To report an offence, contact An Garda Síochána; for advice on a specific situation, speak to a solicitor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Coco's Law in Ireland?

Coco's Law is the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020. It came into force on 10 February 2021 and made it a criminal offence to share, or threaten to share, intimate images without consent. It also created an offence of threatening or grossly offensive communications and widened the harassment offence.

What is the penalty under Coco's Law?

The section 2 offence, which involves intent to cause harm or recklessness, carries up to 7 years and an unlimited fine on indictment. The section 3 offence, which needs no intent, is summary only, with a maximum fine of €5,000, 12 months, or both. Section 4 communications offences carry up to 2 years on indictment.

Is threatening to share an intimate image a crime in Ireland?

Yes. Section 2 of the 2020 Act makes it an offence to threaten to distribute or publish an intimate image without consent, with intent to cause harm or being reckless as to harm. The image does not have to be sent for the offence to be committed.

How do I report intimate image abuse in Ireland?

You can report to An Garda Síochána at any Garda station, or through the Hotline.ie online facility run in partnership with the Gardaí, which also lets you ask for the content to be removed. Garda Confidential is 1800 666 111. In an emergency, call 999 or 112.

Does Coco's Law cover deepfakes?

It is not settled. The definition of an intimate image refers to what is, or purports to be, a person's intimate parts, but the sponsors of a 2026 private members' Bill have stated that it does not reach computer-generated fakes of identifiable people. Several Bills on this are before the Oireachtas and none has passed.

Are victims named in Coco's Law cases?

Once a person is charged with a section 2 or section 3 offence, it is an offence to publish anything likely to identify the alleged victim. A judge can direct otherwise if the interests of justice require it, after taking the victim's views into account.

How long do Gardaí have to bring a case under Coco's Law?

Under section 7, summary proceedings can be brought within 2 years of the offence, rather than the usual 6 months. The 2-year period is for summary proceedings.