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Congress·In Committee·S. 3704

Congress Proposes New Penalties to Stop Online Predators From Threatening Minors With Explicit Images

COP Act

about 2 months ago·View on Congress.gov
Part of: New Federal Laws Criminalize Sextortion Targeting Minors
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Superseded

The companion bill in the other chamber is advancing instead.

→View advancing bill: Congress Targets Online “Sextortion” by Making Threats to Share Minor Sexual Images a Federal Crime

Legislative Progress

Senate
House
President
Law

Key Points

  • This bill, introduced by Senator Moody, aims to stop a practice often called sextortion by making it a federal crime to threaten to share explicit photos or videos of a child.
  • It specifically targets predators who use existing images to scare a minor into creating or sending even more sexually explicit material.
  • The law would apply even if the predator only believes the person they are talking to is a minor, which helps law enforcement catch people targeting children online even in undercover cases.
  • By updating federal laws, this change allows the government to prosecute people who use threats as a weapon to exploit children, even before a new image is actually shared or created.
Criminal JusticeTechnology Digital

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

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

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Jan 27, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Jan 27, 2026

Introduced in Senate

Related Bills

1 bill
H.R. 6719Identical bill

Combating Online Predators Act

Jan 13 — Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

COP Act

Bill NumberS 3704
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.