Congress·Reported·S. 3023

Senate Committee Advances Safe Cloud Storage Act for Police Digital Evidence

Safe Cloud Storage Act

about 2 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

Congress is considering a plan to let police departments hire private tech companies to store and analyze digital evidence of crimes against children. Because these files are illegal to own, the bill protects these companies from being sued or charged with a crime for holding the evidence on behalf of the law.
To qualify for these protections, tech companies must follow strict security rules, such as using high-level encryption and keeping all data on servers located within the United States. They must also undergo yearly audits to make sure the sensitive files are safe from hackers or unauthorized access.
The bill requires companies to limit how many employees can see the files and forbids them from using the material for anything other than helping the police. If a company is careless, acts with malice, or uses the files for the wrong reasons, they can still face legal trouble.
If a police department stops paying for the storage or ends the contract, the company cannot simply delete the evidence. They must notify the Department of Justice and keep the files safe until they can be handed over to another government agency to ensure the evidence is not lost for court cases.

Criminal JusticeTechnology Digital

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

4 milestones5 actions

Feb 24, 2026Senate

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 345.

Feb 24, 2026Senate

Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.

Feb 5, 2026Senate

Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

Oct 21, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Oct 21, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Approved vendors begin filing notification letters with the Department of Justice after signing contracts with law enforcement

Tech companies that want legal protection for storing this evidence must formally register with the DOJ within 30 days of being hired by a police department or prosecutor's office.

Related News

2 articles

Ripon Advance·about 1 month ago

Blackburn’s bipartisan Safe Cloud Storage Act passes Senate committee

The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bipartisan bill to modernize child sexual exploitation investigations by authorizing secure, cloud-based storage for CSAM evidence. The bill provides limited liability protections to law enforcement-approved vendors assisting in these investigations.

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TechPolicy.Press·5 months ago

October 2025 US Tech Policy Roundup

The Safe Cloud Storage Act (S. 3023), introduced by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, aims to limit liability for entities storing child sexual abuse material for law enforcement agencies, part of a broader push to modernize digital evidence handling and ensure data remains on U.S.-based servers.