119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3023
AN ACT
To limit liability for certain entities storing child sexual abuse material for law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Safe Cloud Storage Act
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Storage of child pornography, child obscenity, and intimate visual depictions of minors
In general
Title II of the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008 (34 U.S.C. 21101 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 201 the following:
Modernizing law enforcement's ability to store child pornography, child obscenity, and intimate visual depictions of minors and limited liability for approved vendors
Definitions
In this section:
Approved vendor
The term approved vendor means a cloud service provider that—
complies with the security requirements described in subsection (c); and
has been contractually retained by a covered agency to support the duties of such agency by—
storing digital child pornography, child obscenity, or an intimate visual depiction of a minor;
making such child pornography, child obscenity, or intimate visual depiction of a minor available to the contracting agency, or any law enforcement or prosecutorial agency designated by the contracting agency, upon request; and
providing maintenance, technical and analytical assistance, and forensic tool processing support upon request by the contracting agency.
Child pornography
The term child pornography has the meaning given that term in section 2256(8) of title 18, United States Code.
Cloud service provider
The term cloud service provider means an organization, corporation, or entity that makes available digital storage services, including remote or cloud-based storage, and analytical and forensic tool processing support.
Covered agency
The term covered agency means a Federal, State, or local law enforcement or prosecutorial agency.
Intimate visual depiction of a minor
The term intimate visual depiction of a minor means an intimate visual depiction, as defined in section 223(h) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 223(h)), including a digital forgery, of an identifiable individual who is a minor, as that term is defined in such section.
Local
The term local means any political subdivision of a State.
State
The term State means any of the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, Guam, American Samoa, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Limited liability for approved vendors
Limited liability for law enforcement approved vendors
Except as provided in paragraph (2), a civil claim or criminal charge may not be brought in any Federal or State court against an approved vendor relating to the approved vendor's performance of any contractual obligation or service described in subsection (a)(1).
Intentional, reckless, or other misconduct
A civil claim or criminal charge may be brought in any Federal or State court against an approved vendor if the approved vendor—
engaged in—
intentional misconduct; or
negligent conduct; or
acted, or failed to act—
with actual malice;
with reckless disregard to a substantial risk of causing injury without legal justification; or
for a purpose unrelated to the performance of any responsibility or function described in subsection (a)(1)(B).
Vendor cybersecurity requirements
With respect to any child pornography, child obscenity, or intimate visual depiction of a minor stored, maintained, or processed by an approved vendor, such approved vendor shall—
secure such child pornography, child obscenity, or intimate visual depiction of a minor in a manner that is consistent with the most recent version of the Cybersecurity Framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or any successor thereto;
only access the child pornography, child obscenity, or intimate visual depiction of a minor upon consent of the covered agency contracting the service and for the purpose of providing maintenance, technical assistance, and forensic tool processing support in the cloud;
minimize the number of employees that may be able to obtain access to such child pornography, child obscenity, or intimate visual depiction of a minor and maintain a list of employees who have obtained such access;
employ end-to-end encryption for data storage and transfer functions, or an equivalent technological standard;
undergo an independent annual cybersecurity audit to determine whether such child pornography, child obscenity, or intimate visual depiction of a minor is secured as required by paragraphs (1), (3), and (4), including by assessing compliance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800–53, Revision 5 (relating to security and privacy controls for information systems and organizations) or any successor documents or revisions; and
promptly address all issues identified by an audit described in paragraph (5).
Evidence storage
Any covered agency that stores child pornography, child obscenity, or an intimate visual depiction of a minor pursuant to a contract with an approved vendor shall retain such evidence—
in compliance with the security policy of the Criminal Justice Information Services Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or any other similar and appropriate division within the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
for a period consistent with the evidence retention requirements applicable to the covered agency under the relevant Federal, State, or local law, rule of criminal procedure, or prosecutorial policy; or
in the absence of such law, rule, or policy, for a period not less than the applicable statute of limitations or the duration of any sentence imposed, including the period of post-conviction review.
Additional requirements for approved vendors
Location of data
In general
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), each approved vendor shall ensure that any child pornography, child obscenity, or intimate visual depiction of a minor stored pursuant to this section remains in the United States.
Exception
Child pornography, child obscenity, and intimate visual depictions of a minor stored under this section may be transferred outside the United States only with the express consent of the contracting covered agency if such agency deems the transfer necessary for investigative purposes.
Notification letter
In general
Approved vendors shall file a notification letter with the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice not later than 30 days after entering into a contract described in subsection (a)(1)(B).
Contents
The notification letter described in subparagraph (A) shall include the entity name and point of contact information of the approved vendor, the name of the contracting covered agency, the period of performance of the contract, and an acknowledgment by the approved vendor that the approved vendor will notify the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice of any changes to the information in the letter.
Breach of contract
In general
If a covered agency fails to make required payment under a contract, breaches any material term of such contract, or otherwise terminates such contract without establishing lawful transfer of the evidence, the approved vendor shall, not later than 30 days after the failure, breach, or termination, notify the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice in the case of a breach by a Federal agency, or the appropriate State attorney general in the case of a breach by a State or local agency.
Maintenance of evidence
Upon making a notification under subparagraph (A), the approved vendor shall continue to preserve and maintain the integrity of the evidence until a prompt and lawful transfer of custody occurs to the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice or another Federal, State, or local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction.
Rule of construction
Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit—
bona fide use by the contracting covered agency of child pornography, child obscenity, or intimate visual depiction of a minor being stored by the approved vendor, which includes providing such child pornography or child obscenity to any other party as necessary for an investigation or prosecution; or
the obligation of the contracting covered agency to comply with a constitutional or statutory obligation, court order, or request from a victim made pursuant to section 3509(m)(3) of title 18, United States Code.
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Clerical amendment
Section 1(b) of the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–401; 122 Stat. 4229) is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 201 the following:
Sec. 202. Modernizing law enforcement's ability to store child pornography, child obscenity, and intimate visual depictions of minors and limited liability for approved vendors.
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Passed the Senate May 20, 2026.
Secretary