SB 733 - This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Protect Young Minds Online Act". Under this act, an internet service provider shall block access to obscene websites and redirect a blocked website to a web page that provides the subscriber the ability to enter a password in order to gain access to the blocked website. A mechanism to create a password shall be provided to subscribers that are 18 years of age or older. The password shall be required at each attempt to access a blocked website and shall be changed every 3 months.
An internet service provider shall provide information to their subscribers that includes a brief description of the provisions of this act requiring a password to access blocked content, the procedure for creating, recovering, and updating the password requiring multi-factor authentication for the account holder, and the penalty for individuals who share the password with minors which results in the exposure of minors to pornographic material.
An internet service provider shall provide a website, call center, or similar method of communication for a person to report a blocked website he or she believes should be accessible and a website that he or she believes should be blocked. An internet service provider shall send out a document to the reporting person indicating the status of the website within a reasonable amount of time, not to exceed 10 days after receiving the report. A website deemed not accessible shall be blocked, in accordance with the provisions of the act, to all persons within the state network of the internet service provider.
The Attorney General's office shall also provide a website, call center, or similar method of communication for a person to report a blocked website he or she believes should be accessible, and a website that he or she believes should be blocked, and shall create a method of evaluation to determine if a website is obscene. The Attorney General's office shall notify the reporting person indicating the status of the website within a reasonable amount of time, not to exceed 10 days of receiving the report. A copy of the decision shall also be provided to the internet service provider.
An internet service provider is not liable for any penalty under the act if the provider makes a good faith effort to apply a generally accepted and commercially reasonable method of blocking obscene websites and that such technology has the ability to discover and block new obscene websites and fulfills the requirements of the act.
A subscriber that provides a minor with his or her password to access a blocked website shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
The Attorney General may seek injunctive and other equitable relief against an internet service provider that fails to comply with the provisions of this act.
This act is similar to SB 1076 (2020), HB 2102 (2020), and SCS/SB 382 (2019).
JAMIE ANDREWS