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Alabama House Bill HB298

Alabama 2023 Regular Session

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11 HB298INTRODUCED
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33 SHXZ77-1
44 By Representatives Sells, Mooney, Whorton, Paschal, Fincher,
55 Harrison, Gidley, Butler, Lamb, Bedsole, Stadthagen, Kirkland,
66 Hammett, Bolton, Hurst, Givens, Fidler, Underwood, Lee, Cole,
77 Whitt, Rigsby, Marques, Smith, Oliver, Pettus, Standridge,
88 McClammy, Hollis, Brown, Carns, Reynolds, Sorrells, Estes,
99 Moore (P), Shaver, Rehm, Ingram, Hulsey, Ellis, Lomax, Woods,
1010 Lipscomb, Crawford, Shedd, Robertson, Wood (D), Baker, Stubbs,
1111 Easterbrook, Stringer, Paramore, Collins, DuBose, Hassell,
1212 Travis, Drummond, Plump, Lawrence
1313 RFD: Commerce and Small Business
1414 First Read: 12-Apr-23
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2727 13 SHXZ77-1 04/05/2022 CMH (L) bm 2022-5116
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2929 SYNOPSIS:
3030 This bill would require manufacturers of certain
3131 Internet-enabled devices to automatically activate
3232 existing filters on the devices to prevent users from
3333 accessing material harmful to minors, including
3434 pornography, without a device passcode, and would
3535 provide civil penalties for a violation.
3636 A BILL
3737 TO BE ENTITLED
3838 AN ACT
3939 Relating to consumer protection; to require certain
4040 manufacturers of Internet-enabled devices to activate existing
4141 filters to restrict access to certain material; to provide for
4242 a cause of action; to provide civil penalties.
4343 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
4444 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as
4545 the Protection of Minors from Unfiltered Devices Act.
4646 Section 2. As used in this act, the following terms
4747 have the following meanings:
4848 (1) ACTIVATE. The process of powering on a device and
4949 associating the device with a new user account.
5050 (2) DEVICE. A tablet or a smart phone manufactured on
5151 or after the operative date of this act as provided in Section
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8181 7.
8282 (3) FILTER. Software installed on a device that is
8383 capable of preventing the device from accessing or displaying
8484 material that is harmful to minors through browsers or search
8585 engines.
8686 (4) HARMFUL TO MINORS. Any description or
8787 representation, in whatsoever form, of nudity, sexual conduct,
8888 sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse when it: a. Taken
8989 as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest of minors; b. is
9090 patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult
9191 community as a whole with respect to what is suitable material
9292 for minors; and c. taken as a whole, does not have serious
9393 value for minors, which includes only serious literary,
9494 artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.
9595 (5) INTERNET. The global information system that is
9696 logically linked together by a globally unique address space
9797 based on the Internet protocol (IP), or its subsequent
9898 extensions, and that is able to support communications using
9999 the transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP)
100100 suite, or its subsequent extensions, or other IP-compatible
101101 protocols, and that provides, uses, or makes accessible,
102102 either publicly or privately, high-level services layered on
103103 communications and related infrastructure.
104104 (6) MANUFACTURER. A person or entity to which both of
105105 the following apply:
106106 a. Is engaged in the business of manufacturing a device
107107 or holds the patents for the device it manufactures.
108108 b. Has a commercial designated registered agent as
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138138 provided under Section 10A-1-5.31, Code of Alabama 1975.
139139 (7) MINOR. An individual under the age of 19 years who
140140 is not emancipated, married, or a member of the armed forces
141141 of the United States.
142142 (8) PASSWORD. A string of characters or other secure
143143 method used to enable, deactivate, modify, or uninstall a
144144 filter on a device.
145145 (9) SMART PHONE. An electronic device that combines a
146146 cell phone with a handheld computer, typically offering
147147 Internet access through a browser or search engine, data
148148 storage, and text and email capabilities.
149149 (10) TABLET. A mobile device that is equipped with a
150150 mobile operating system, touchscreen display, and rechargeable
151151 battery; and that has the ability to support access to a
152152 cellular network.
153153 Section 3. Beginning January 1 2024, a manufacturer
154154 shall manufacture a device that, when activated in this state,
155155 shall automatically enable a filter that does all of the
156156 following:
157157 (1) When enabled, prevents the user from accessing
158158 material that is harmful to minors on any of the following:
159159 a. Mobile data networks.
160160 b. Internet browsers or search engines.
161161 c. Wired Internet networks.
162162 d. Wireless Internet networks.
163163 (2) Notifies the user of the device when the filter
164164 blocks the device from accessing a website.
165165 (3) Gives a user with a password the opportunity to
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195195 unblock a filtered website.
196196 (4) Reasonably precludes a user, other than a user with
197197 a password, the opportunity to deactivate, modify, or
198198 uninstall the filter.
199199 Section 4. (a) A manufacturer of a device is liable to
200200 a minor in this state if all of the following occur:
201201 (1) The device is activated in this state.
202202 (2) The device does not, upon activation in this state,
203203 enable a filter that complies with the requirements described
204204 in Section 3.
205205 (3) The minor accesses material that is harmful to
206206 minors on the device.
207207 (b) Nothing in this act affects any private right of
208208 action existing under other law, including contract.
209209 (c) Notwithstanding subsection (a), this section does
210210 not apply to a manufacturer that makes a good faith effort to
211211 provide a device that, upon activation of the device in this
212212 state, automatically enables a generally accepted and
213213 commercially reasonable method of filtration in accordance
214214 with this act and industry standards.
215215 Section 5. (a) If a court finds that a manufacturer is
216216 liable under Section 4, the court may award the plaintiff
217217 actual damages.
218218 (b) A class action may be brought under this act in
219219 accordance with Rule 23 of the Alabama Rules of Civil
220220 Procedure.
221221 Section 6. (a) When the Attorney General has reason to
222222 believe that a person has violated or is violating this act,
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252252 the Attorney General, acting in the public interest, may bring
253253 an action in the name of the state against the person to do
254254 any of the following:
255255 (1) To enjoin any action that constitutes a violation
256256 of this act by issuance of a temporary restraining order or
257257 preliminary or permanent injunction.
258258 (2) To recover from the alleged violator a civil
259259 penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) per
260260 violation and not to exceed a total of fifty thousand dollars
261261 ($50,000) in aggregate, as determined by the court.
262262 (3) To recover from the alleged violator the Attorney
263263 General's reasonable expenses, investigative costs, and
264264 attorney's fees.
265265 (4) To obtain other appropriate relief as provided
266266 under this act.
267267 (b) The Attorney General may issue a subpoena to any
268268 person and conduct hearings in aid of any investigation or
269269 inquiry conducted under this act.
270270 (c) The Attorney General may seek the revocation of any
271271 license or certificate authorizing a manufacturer to engage in
272272 business in this state.
273273 (d) For purposes of assessing a penalty under this
274274 section, a manufacturer is considered to have committed a
275275 separate violation for each device manufactured on or after
276276 January 1 of the year following the effective date of this
277277 act.
278278 Section 7. (a) Any parent or legal guardian of a minor
279279 who accesses pornographic content that is harmful to minors,
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309309 which content is accessible as a result of a violation of this
310310 act, may bring a private cause of action in any court of
311311 competent jurisdiction against a manufacturer who manufactured
312312 a device in violation of this act.
313313 (b) A prevailing plaintiff may recover all of the
314314 following:
315315 (1) Actual damages; or, in the discretion of the court,
316316 when actual damages are difficult to ascertain due to the
317317 nature of the injury, liquidated damages in the amount of
318318 fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) for each violation.
319319 (2) When the violation is found by clear and convincing
320320 evidence to be knowing and willful, punitive damages in an
321321 amount determined by the court.
322322 (3) Nominal damages.
323323 (4) Court costs, attorney's fees, and other relief as
324324 the court deems appropriate.
325325 (c) Nothing in this act shall preclude the bringing of
326326 a class action lawsuit against a manufacturer where its
327327 conduct in violation of Section 3 is knowing and willful.
328328 Section 8. This act shall become effective on the first
329329 day of the third month following its passage and approval by
330330 the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.
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