Maryland 2023 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB767 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0767
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 767
8	8	K3, E4 3lr2393
9	9	CF HB 419
10	10	By: Senator Carter (By Request – Baltimore City Administration)
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2023
12	12	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings and Finance
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Labor and Employment – User Name and Password Privacy – Law Enforcement 2
19	19	Agencies 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of authorizing certain law enforcement agencies to access, under certain 4
22	22	circumstances, social media accounts of applicants; and generally relating to user 5
23	23	name and password privacy and law enforcement agencies. 6
24	24
25	25	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 7
26	26	Article – Labor and Employment 8
27	27	Section 3–712 9
28	28	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
29	29	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 11
30	30
31	31	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 12
32	32	Article – Public Safety 13
33	33	Section 3–201(a) and (d) 14
34	34	Annotated Code of Maryland 15
35	35	(2022 Replacement Volume) 16
36	36
37	37	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GEN ERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 17
38	38	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 18
39	39
40	40	Article – Labor and Employment 19
41	41
42	42	3–712. 20
43	43
44	44	(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 21
45	45
46	46	(2) “Applicant” means an applicant for employment. 22
47	47	2 SENATE BILL 767
48	48
49	49
50	50	(3) (i) “Electronic communications device” means any device that uses 1
51	51	electronic signals to create, transmit, and receive information. 2
52	52
53	53	(ii) “Electronic communications device” includes computers, 3
54	54	telephones, personal digital assistants, and other similar devices. 4
55	55
56	56	(4) (i) “Employer” means: 5
57	57
58	58	1. a person engaged in a business, an industry, a profession, 6
59	59	a trade, or other enterprise in the State; or 7
60	60
61	61	2. a unit of State or local government. 8
62	62
63	63	(ii) “Employer” includes an agent, a representative, and a designee 9
64	64	of the employer. 10
65	65
66	66	(5) “LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENC Y” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 11
67	67	3–201 OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY ARTICLE. 12
68	68
69	69	(b) (1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, an employer may not 13
70	70	request or require that an employee or applicant disclose any user name, password, or other 14
71	71	means for accessing a personal account or service through an electronic communications 15
72	72	device. 16
73	73
74	74	(2) An employer may require an employee to disclose any user name, 17
75	75	password, or other means for accessing nonpersonal accounts or services that provide 18
76	76	access to the employer’s internal computer or information systems. 19
77	77
78	78	(c) An employer may not: 20
79	79
80	80	(1) discharge, discipline, or otherwise penalize or threaten to discharge, 21
81	81	discipline, or otherwise penalize an employee for an employee’s refusal to disclose any 22
82	82	information specified in subsection (b)(1) of this section; or 23
83	83
84	84	(2) fail or refuse to hire any applicant as a result of the applicant’s refusal 24
85	85	to disclose any information specified in subsection (b)(1) of this section. 25
86	86
87	87	(d) An employee may not download unauthorized employer proprietary 26
88	88	information or financial data to an employee’s personal Web site, an Internet Web site, a 27
89	89	Web–based account, or a similar account. 28
90	90
91	91	(e) This section does not prevent an employer: 29
92	92
93	93	(1) based on the receipt of information about the use of a personal Web site, 30
94	94	Internet Web site, Web–based account, or similar account by an employee for business 31
95	95	purposes, from conducting an investigation for the purpose of ensuring compliance with 32
96	96	applicable securities or financial law, or regulatory requirements; or 33 SENATE BILL 767 3
97	97
98	98
99	99
100	100	(2) based on the receipt of information about the unauthorized 1
101	101	downloading of an employer’s proprietary information or financial data to a personal Web 2
102	102	site, Internet Web site, Web–based account, or similar account by an employee, from 3
103	103	investigating an employee’s actions under subsection (d) of this section. 4
104	104
105	105	(f) (1) SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , A LAW 5
106	106	ENFORCEMENT AGENCY M AY, DURING THE COURSE OF A BACKGROUND CHECK , 6
107	107	REQUIRE AN APPLICANT TO OPEN ALL OF THE A PPLICANT’S SOCIAL MEDIA 7
108	108	ACCOUNTS FOR REVIEW BY AN INVESTIGATOR . 8
109	109
110	110	(2) (I) DURING A REVIEW OF TH E APPLICANT’S SOCIAL MEDIA 9
111	111	ACCOUNTS, THE APPLICANT SHALL BE PRESENT. 10
112	112
113	113	(II) AN INVESTIGATOR MAY P RINT SELECTIONS FROM THE 11
114	114	APPLICANT’S SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS ON LY IF THE SELECTIONS TO BE PRINTED 12
115	115	DO NOT CONTAIN A USE R NAME, A PASSWORD , OR ANY OTHER MEANS F OR 13
116	116	ACCESSING A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OR SERVICE . 14
117	117
118	118	(III) THE LAW ENFORCEMENT A GENCY MAY NOT : 15
119	119
120	120	1. KEEP OR RESERVE THE APPLICANT’S USER NAME , 16
121	121	PASSWORD, OR OTHER MEANS FOR A CCESSING A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OR SERVICE 17
122	122	THROUGH AN ELECTRONI C COMMUNICATIONS DEV ICE; OR 18
123	123
124	124	2. PROHIBIT AN APPLICAN T FROM CHANGING A US ER 19
125	125	NAME, A PASSWORD, OR ANY OTHER MEANS F OR ACCESSING A PERSO NAL ACCOUNT 20
126	126	OR SERVICE. 21
127	127
128	128	(G) (1) Whenever the Commissioner determines that this section has been 22
129	129	violated, the Commissioner shall: 23
130	130
131	131	(i) try to resolve any issue involved in the violation informally by 24
132	132	mediation; or 25
133	133
134	134	(ii) ask the Attorney General to bring an action on behalf of the 26
135	135	applicant or employee. 27
136	136
137	137	(2) The Attorney General may bring an action under this subsection in the 28
138	138	county where the violation allegedly occurred for injunctive relief, damages, or other relief. 29
139	139
140	140	Article – Public Safety 30
141	141
142	142	3–201. 31
143	143	4 SENATE BILL 767
144	144
145	145
146	146	(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 1
147	147
148	148	(d) (1) “Law enforcement agency” means a governmental police force, sheriff’s 2
149	149	office, or security force or law enforcement organization of the State, a county, or a 3
150	150	municipal corporation that by statute, ordinance, or common law is authorized to enforce 4
151	151	the general criminal laws of the State. 5
152	152
153	153	(2) “Law enforcement agency” does not include members of the Maryland 6
154	154	National Guard who: 7
155	155
156	156	(i) are under the control and jurisdiction of the Military 8
157	157	Department; 9
158	158
159	159	(ii) are assigned to the military property designated as the Martin 10
160	160	State Airport; and 11
161	161
162	162	(iii) are charged with exercising police powers in and for the Martin 12
163	163	State Airport. 13
164	164
165	165	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 14
166	166	October 1, 2023. 15
167	167
168	168