When the person in the images is a minor, many jurisdictions have specific laws addressing offenses related to child exploitation materials. These laws typically impose severe penalties for producing, distributing, or possessing such content. For example, the production of explicit material involving minors or the use of their likenesses for such purposes is often treated as a grave offense, carrying significant prison terms. 

For images involving adults, the primary considerations include whether the images were lawfully obtained and whether consent was provided for their distribution. The unauthorized dissemination of intimate images—often referred to as "revenge porn"—is criminalized in many jurisdictions. Offenders may face penalties, including imprisonment, for sharing such images without consent, irrespective of how the images were initially acquired. The severity of the penalties may increase if the images were obtained through coercion or extortion.

Moreover, websites or platforms that fail to remove non-consensual explicit images after being notified, may be considered complicit in the offense in certain jurisdictions.