With its instantaneous and often impulsive nature, social media has made revenge from a bitter break-up accessible by just the click of a mouse.

But with the passing of a new "anti-revenge porn" bill, signed off by Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown, this viral rapid-fire will now have legal ramifications in the state of California.

So if your ex has pictures of you in your birthday suit, you just might have been saved from the humiliation -- thanks to lawmakers.

On Tuesday, Brown signed a bill "outlawing so-called revenge porn and levying possible jail time for people who post naked photos of their exes after bitter breakups."

Senate Bill 255, which takes effect immediately, makes it a misdemeanor to post identifiable nude pictures of someone else online without permission with the intent to cause emotional distress or humiliation. The penalty is up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, USA TODAY reports.

"Until now, there was no tool for law enforcement to protect victims," the bill's author, Sen. Anthony Cannella, said in a statement. "Too many have had their lives upended because of an action of another that they trusted."

The act of posting "revenge porn" on the Internet is nothing new, but it was handled differently before it became a criminal act. The state of California allowed victims to sue their virtual assailants, but it came with a hefty price tag and was too time-consuming.

The American Civil Liberties Union had opposed the bill, arguing it might restrict free speech rights, which has been a concern in other states as well, according to the Associated Press.

Florida lawmakers rejected a similar bill this year after constitutional free speech concerns surfaced there, AP notes. Last year, the Missouri Supreme Court cited concerns about free speech in striking down part of a 2008 law enacted after a teenager who was teased online committed suicide.