Safe Cloud Storage Act

Key Points

• This bill creates a legal framework for law enforcement agencies at every level of government to hire private cloud storage companies to hold digital evidence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). These "approved vendors" would store the files, make them available to investigators on request, and provide technical and forensic support.
• Approved vendors receive broad legal protection from criminal charges and civil lawsuits related to possessing this illegal material, as long as they are performing their contractual duties. However, they can still be held liable for intentional misconduct, negligence, reckless disregard for safety, or using the material for purposes unrelated to law enforcement work.
• Cloud vendors must meet strict cybersecurity standards, including following the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, using end-to-end encryption, limiting employee access to the material, keeping data stored within the United States, and undergoing an independent cybersecurity audit every year.
• The bill also covers AI-generated abuse material by including "digital forgeries" of minors in its definition of intimate visual depictions. This helps law enforcement address the growing problem of AI-generated CSAM alongside traditional forms of abuse imagery.
• If a law enforcement agency breaks its contract or stops paying, the vendor must notify the Department of Justice (for federal agencies) or the state attorney general (for state or local agencies) and preserve the evidence until it can be lawfully transferred to another agency.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.