STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2565 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 17, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ, ROSENTHAL, STECK, WALKER, WEPRIN, VANEL, KELLES, OTIS, LUNSFORD -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK, DAVILA, GLICK, RAMOS, ROZIC, SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the criminal procedure law, in relation to establishing the New York electronic communications privacy act ("NYECPA") The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The criminal procedure law is amended by adding a new arti- 2 cle 695 to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 695 4 SEARCH AND SEIZURE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND ELECTRONIC 5 COMMUNICATIONS 6 Section 695.05 Search and seizure of electronic devices and electronic 7 communications; definitions. 8 695.10 Search and seizure of electronic devices and electronic 9 communications; in general. 10 695.15 Search and seizure of electronic devices and electronic 11 communications; in an emergency. 12 695.20 Search and seizure of electronic devices and electronic 13 communications; when evidence can be suppressed. 14 695.25 Search and seizure of electronic devices and electronic 15 communications; annual report. 16 § 695.05 Search and seizure of electronic devices and electronic commu- 17 nications; definitions. 18 As used in this article, the following definitions shall apply: 19 1. "Adverse result" means any of the following: 20 (a) danger to the life or physical safety of an individual; 21 (b) flight from prosecution; 22 (c) destruction of or tampering with evidence; 23 (d) intimidation of potential witnesses; or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04537-01-5 A. 2565 2 1 (e) serious jeopardy to an investigation. 2 2. "Authorized possessor" means the person in possession of an elec- 3 tronic device when that person is the owner of the device or has been 4 authorized to possess the device by the owner of the device. 5 3. "Electronic communication" means the transmission of signs, 6 signals, writings, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature 7 in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic, photoelectric, or 8 photo-optical system. 9 4. "Electronic communication information" means information related to 10 an electronic communication or the use of an electronic communication 11 service including, but not limited to the contents, sender, recipients, 12 or format of an electronic communication; the precise or approximate 13 location of the sender or recipients of an electronic communication at 14 any time during such communication; the time or date such communication 15 was created, sent, or received and information pertaining to an individ- 16 ual or device involved in the communication including but not limited to 17 an internet protocol address. Electronic communication information does 18 not include subscriber information as defined in this article and does 19 not include information in the public domain. 20 5. "Electronic communication service" means a service that provides 21 subscribers to or users of such service the ability to send or receive 22 an electronic communication as defined in this article, including a 23 service that acts as an intermediary in the transmission of electronic 24 communications, or that stores electronic communication information. 25 6. "Electronic device" means a device that stores, generates, or tran- 26 smits information in electronic form. 27 7. "Electronic device information" means information stored in or 28 generated through the operation of an electronic device, including 29 information related to the location of such device at any time. 30 8. "Electronic information" means electronic communication information 31 or electronic device information. 32 9. "Law enforcement agency" means any agency which is empowered by law 33 to conduct an investigation or to make an arrest for an offense under 34 the penal law, and an agency which is authorized by law to prosecute or 35 participate in the prosecution of an offense under the penal law. 36 10. "Law enforcement officer" means any public servant who is 37 empowered by law to conduct an investigation of or to make an arrest for 38 an offense under the penal law, and any attorney authorized by law to 39 prosecute or participate in the prosecution of an offense under the 40 penal law. 41 11. "Location information" means information regarding the general or 42 specific location of an electronic device. 43 12. "Service provider" means a person or entity that provides an elec- 44 tronic communication service. 45 13. "Specific consent" means consent provided directly to a law 46 enforcement agency or law enforcement officer seeking information 47 regarding an electronic communication, including but not limited to 48 circumstances in which a law enforcement agency or law enforcement offi- 49 cer is the addressee or intended recipient or a member of the intended 50 audience for such communication. 51 14. "Subscriber information" means the name, street address, telephone 52 number, email address, or similar contact information provided by a 53 subscriber to the service provider in order to establish or maintain a 54 communication channel or an account for electronic communication 55 services, as well as a subscriber identifier or account number, the
A. 2565 3 1 period of time in which the subscriber receives service; and the types 2 of services used by a user of or subscriber to a service provider. 3 § 695.10 Search and seizure of electronic devices and electronic commu- 4 nications; in general. 5 1. Except as provided in this section, a law enforcement agency or law 6 enforcement officer shall not: 7 (a) compel, induce or offer incentives for the production of or access 8 to electronic communication information from a service provider; 9 (b) compel the production of or access to electronic device informa- 10 tion from any person or entity other than the authorized possessor of 11 the device; or 12 (c) access electronic device information by means of physical inter- 13 action or electronic communication with the electronic device. 14 2. A law enforcement agency or law enforcement officer may compel the 15 production of or access to electronic communication information from a 16 service provider, or compel the production of or access to electronic 17 device information from any person or entity other than the authorized 18 possessor of the device only under the following circumstances: 19 (a) pursuant to a warrant issued in accordance with article six 20 hundred ninety of this title and subject to subdivision four of this 21 section, unless the law enforcement agency or law enforcement officer is 22 required under section 250.00 of the penal law and article seven hundred 23 of this title to obtain a warrant issued pursuant to article seven 24 hundred of this title; or 25 (b) pursuant to a warrant issued in accordance with article seven 26 hundred of this title. 27 3. A law enforcement agency or law enforcement officer may access, 28 without consent, as provided in this section, electronic device informa- 29 tion by means of physical interaction or electronic communication with 30 the device only as follows: 31 (a) pursuant to a warrant in accordance with article six hundred nine- 32 ty of this title and subject to subdivision four of this section, unless 33 the law enforcement agency or law enforcement officer is required under 34 section 250.00 of the penal law and article seven hundred of this title 35 to obtain a warrant issued pursuant to article seven hundred of this 36 title; 37 (b) pursuant to a warrant issued in accordance with article seven 38 hundred of this title; 39 (c) with the specific consent of the authorized possessor of the 40 device; 41 (d) with the specific consent of the owner of the device, only when 42 the device has been reported as lost or stolen; or 43 (e) if the law enforcement agency or law enforcement officer, in good 44 faith, believes the device to be lost, stolen, or abandoned, provided 45 that the law enforcement agency or law enforcement officer shall access 46 electronic device information only for the purpose of attempting to 47 identify, verify, or contact the owner or authorized possessor of the 48 device. 49 4. Any warrant for electronic information shall: 50 (a) describe with particularity the information to be seized by speci- 51 fying the time periods for which such information is sought and, as 52 appropriate and reasonable, the target individuals or accounts, the 53 applications or services covered, and the types of information sought; 54 and 55 (b) comply with all applicable provisions of state and federal law, 56 including such provisions that prohibit or limit the use of search
A. 2565 4 1 warrants, or that impose additional requirements, beyond the scope of 2 this article, regarding search warrants. 3 (c) If an affidavit, declaration, deposition, allegation of fact or 4 other material is submitted in support of the application for a warrant, 5 the judge must file it with the court within twenty-four hours of the 6 issuance of a warrant. 7 5. A service provider may voluntarily disclose electronic communi- 8 cation information or subscriber information when that disclosure is not 9 otherwise prohibited by this article or by other provisions of state law 10 or by federal law. 11 6. A law enforcement agency or law enforcement officer that receives 12 electronic communication information provided voluntarily shall seal 13 that information within ninety days and access to the information shall 14 be prohibited except in one or more of the following circumstances: 15 (a) a law enforcement officer or agency obtains specific consent from 16 the sender or recipient of the electronic communications about which 17 information has been disclosed; or 18 (b) a law enforcement officer or agency obtains a court order author- 19 izing access to the electronic communication information. A court shall 20 issue an access order upon the same finding required for issuing a 21 warrant pursuant to article six hundred ninety of this title and subject 22 to subdivision four of this section. 23 (c) information retained by a law enforcement officer or agent that is 24 subject to this provision shall not be shared with: 25 (i) persons or entities that do not agree to limit the use of the 26 provided information to those purposes identified in the court authori- 27 zation; and 28 (ii) persons or entities that: 29 (A) are not legally obligated to destroy the provided information upon 30 the expiration or rescindment of the court's retention order; or 31 (B) do not voluntarily agree to destroy the provided information upon 32 the expiration or rescindment of the court's retention order. 33 7. A law enforcement agency or law enforcement officer that obtains 34 electronic information pursuant to an emergency involving danger of 35 death or serious physical injury to a person, which requires access to 36 the electronic information without delay, shall within three days after 37 obtaining the electronic information file with the appropriate court an 38 application for a warrant or order that authorizes access to such elec- 39 tronic information, or a motion seeking approval of the emergency 40 disclosures that sets forth the facts giving rise to the emergency, and 41 if applicable, a request supported by a sworn affidavit for an order 42 delaying notification to the court as required under paragraph (a) of 43 subdivision two of section 695.15 of this article. The court shall 44 promptly rule on such application or motion, and shall order the immedi- 45 ate destruction of all information obtained, and immediate notification 46 to the targets of a warrant or emergency request, pursuant to subdivi- 47 sion one of section 695.15 of this article, if such notice has not 48 already been given, upon a finding that the facts did not give rise to 49 an emergency, or upon a ruling that rejects the warrant or order appli- 50 cation on any other ground. 51 8. This section does not limit the authority of a law enforcement 52 agency or law enforcement officer to use an administrative, grand jury, 53 trial, or civil discovery subpoena to do any of the following: 54 (a) require an originator, addressee, or intended recipient of an 55 electronic communication to disclose any electronic communication infor- 56 mation associated with that communication;
A. 2565 5 1 (b) require an entity that provides electronic communications services 2 to its officers, directors, employees, or agents for the purpose of 3 carrying out their duties, to disclose electronic communication informa- 4 tion associated with an electronic communication to or from an officer, 5 director, employee, or agent of the entity; or 6 (c) require a service provider to provide subscriber information. 7 9. This section does not prohibit the intended recipient of an elec- 8 tronic communication from voluntarily disclosing electronic communi- 9 cation information concerning that communication to a law enforcement 10 agency or law enforcement officer. 11 10. Nothing in this section shall be construed to expand any authority 12 under state law to compel the production of or access to electronic 13 information. 14 § 695.15 Search and seizure of electronic devices and electronic commu- 15 nications; in an emergency. 16 1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, a law enforcement 17 agency or law enforcement officer that executes a warrant, or obtains 18 electronic information in an emergency pursuant to section 695.10 of 19 this article, shall serve upon or deliver to the target of a warrant or 20 emergency request by registered or first-class mail, electronic mail, or 21 by other means reasonably calculated to be effective, a notice that 22 informs the recipient that information about the recipient has been 23 compelled or requested. Such notice shall state with reasonable specif- 24 icity the nature of the government investigation pursuant to which the 25 information is sought. The notice shall include a copy of the warrant or 26 a written statement setting forth facts giving rise to the emergency. 27 The notice shall be provided contemporaneously with the execution of a 28 warrant, or, in the case of an emergency, within three days after 29 obtaining the electronic information. The target of the warrant is 30 entitled to request a copy of the electronic information obtained in the 31 same form it was received upon request. Notice shall include 32 instructions for requesting copies and a law enforcement agency and law 33 enforcement officer must provide copies of information obtained in the 34 same form within three days of receiving the request from the target of 35 the warrant. 36 2. (a) When a warrant is sought or electronic information is obtained 37 in an emergency under section 695.10 of this article, the law enforce- 38 ment agency or law enforcement officer may submit a request to a court 39 supported by a sworn affidavit for an order delaying notification and 40 prohibiting any party providing information from notifying any other 41 party that information has been sought. The court shall issue the order 42 if the court determines that there is reason to believe that notifica- 43 tion may have an adverse result, but only for the period of time that 44 the court finds there is reason to believe that the notification may 45 have that adverse result, and not to exceed ninety days. 46 (b) The court may grant extensions of the delay of up to ninety days 47 each on the same grounds as provided in paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 48 sion. 49 (c) Upon expiration of the period in which notification is delayed, a 50 law enforcement agency or law enforcement officer shall serve upon the 51 identified targets of a warrant or deliver to those targets by regis- 52 tered or first-class mail, electronic mail, or other means reasonably 53 calculated to be effective as specified by the court issuing the order 54 authorizing delayed notification, a document that includes the informa- 55 tion described in subdivision one of this section, along with a copy of 56 all electronic information obtained in the same form it was received,
A. 2565 6 1 and a statement of the grounds for the court's determination to grant a 2 delay in notifying the individual. 3 3. If there is no identified target of a warrant or emergency request 4 at the time of its issuance, the law enforcement agency or law enforce- 5 ment officer shall submit to the attorney general of this state within 6 three days of the execution of the warrant or issuance of the request a 7 report regarding the information required in subdivision one of this 8 section. If an order delaying notice is obtained pursuant to subdivision 9 two of this section, the law enforcement agency or law enforcement offi- 10 cer shall submit to the attorney general upon the expiration of the 11 period of delay of the notification a report regarding the information 12 required in paragraph (c) of subdivision two of this section. The attor- 13 ney general's office shall publish such reports on its internet website 14 within ninety days of receipt. The attorney general shall redact names 15 and other personal identifying information from the reports. 16 4. Except as otherwise provided in this section, nothing in this arti- 17 cle shall prohibit or limit a service provider or any other party from 18 disclosing information about any request or demand for electronic infor- 19 mation. 20 § 695.20 Search and seizure of electronic devices and electronic commu- 21 nications; when evidence can be suppressed. 22 1. Persons who are party to or otherwise subject to a trial, hearing, 23 or other legal or administrative proceeding may move to suppress elec- 24 tronic information obtained or retained in violation of this article, 25 the United States Constitution, the New York State Constitution or the 26 provisions of the criminal procedure law. The motion shall be made and 27 shall be subject to review by a court in accordance with the procedures 28 set forth in article seven hundred ten of this title. 29 2. The attorney general of this state may commence a civil action to 30 compel a law enforcement agency or law enforcement officer to comply 31 with the provisions of this article. This does not preclude action by 32 an individual, service provider, or other recipient of a warrant, order, 33 or other legal process that is inconsistent with this article. 34 3. An individual, service provider or other recipient of a warrant, 35 order, or other legal process may petition the issuing court to quash or 36 modify the warrant, order, or process, or to order the destruction of 37 information that is sought pursuant to such a warrant, order or other 38 legal process, on the basis that the warrant, order or process violates 39 the United States Constitution, the New York State Constitution, or is 40 otherwise contrary to federal or state law. The warrant recipient may 41 also move the quash on the basis that the information or records 42 requested are unusually voluminous in nature or compliance with such 43 order otherwise would cause an undue burden on such provider. The 44 court's decision to grant or deny that petition, in whole or in part, 45 filed under this paragraph is immediately appealable pursuant to section 46 fifty-seven hundred one of the civil practice law and rules. 47 4. A state, territory or commonwealth of the United States and foreign 48 and domestic corporations as well as officers, employees, and agents of 49 these entities shall not be subject to a cause of action for providing 50 records, information, facilities, or other forms of assistance in 51 accordance with the terms of a warrant, court order, statutory authori- 52 zation, emergency certification, or wiretap order issued pursuant to 53 this article. This does not preclude a cause of action for providing 54 records, information, facilities, or other forms of assistance in a 55 manner that is inconsistent with this article.
A. 2565 7 1 § 695.25 Search and seizure of electronic devices and electronic commu- 2 nications; annual report. 3 1. A law enforcement agency or law enforcement officer that obtains 4 electronic communication information pursuant to this article shall make 5 an annual report to the attorney general of this state regarding such 6 information. The report shall be made on or before February first, two 7 thousand twenty-six, and on February first of each year thereafter. To 8 the extent such information can be reasonably determined, the report 9 shall include the following: 10 (a) the total number of times electronic information was sought or 11 obtained pursuant to this article; 12 (b) the number of times such information was sought or obtained, and 13 the number of records obtained for each of the following categories the 14 types of electronic information: 15 (i) electronic communication content; 16 (ii) location information; 17 (iii) electronic device information (not including location informa- 18 tion); and 19 (iv) other electronic communication information. 20 (c) for each type of information identified in paragraph (b) of this 21 subdivision: 22 (i) the number of times the information was sought or obtained pursu- 23 ant to: 24 (1) wiretap orders obtained pursuant to this article; 25 (2) search warrants obtained pursuant to this article; and 26 (3) emergency requests subject to subdivision eight of section 695.10 27 of this article. 28 (ii) the total number of individuals whose information was sought or 29 obtained; 30 (iii) the total number of instances in which information was sought or 31 obtained that did not specify a target individual from whom or about 32 whom the information was requested; 33 (iv) for demands or requests issued upon a service provider, the 34 number of such demands or requests complied with in full, partially 35 complied with, and not complied with; 36 (v) the number of times notice to targeted individuals of a warrant, 37 court order, statutory authorization, emergency certification, or wire- 38 tap order issued pursuant to this article was delayed and the average 39 length of the delay; 40 (vi) the number of times records obtained pursuant to a warrant, court 41 order, statutory authorization, emergency certification, or wiretap 42 order issued pursuant to this article were shared with other government 43 entities or any department or agency of the federal government, and the 44 agencies with which such records were shared; 45 (vii) the average period of time for which location information was 46 obtained or received; and 47 (viii) the number of instances in which electronic information sought 48 or obtained pursuant to this article was relevant to a criminal proceed- 49 ing that led to a conviction. 50 2. On or before April first, two thousand twenty-seven, and each April 51 first thereafter, the attorney general's office shall publish on its 52 internet website a summary aggregating data related to each type of 53 electronic communication identified in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of 54 subdivision one of this section by county.
A. 2565 8 1 3. Nothing in this article shall prohibit or restrict a service 2 provider from producing an annual report summarizing the demands or 3 requests it receives under this article. 4 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.