U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) on March 5 introduced bipartisan legislation designed to help law enforcement agencies modernize how they securely store and process digital evidence in child sexual exploitation investigations.
Amid a growing volume of digital evidence containing child sexual abuse material, investigators are increasingly hampered by outdated physical storage tools such as thumb drives, external hard drives, and on-premise servers, which are costly, limited in capacity, and slow down investigations.
Rep. Lee’s Safe Cloud Storage Act, H.R. 7834, would extend civil and criminal liability protections to vetted, law enforcement-approved third-party vendors that assist investigators in securely handling digital evidence through cloud-based systems.
“Identifying victims and bringing predators to justice requires modern investigative tools,” Rep. Lee said. “The Safe Cloud Storage Act updates how law enforcement securely handles digital evidence, allowing investigators to partner with trusted technology providers while maintaining strong safeguards and accountability.”
The legislation builds on the framework established by the REPORT Act, Rep. Lee’s office said, which provided limited liability protections for vendors contracted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The bill would broaden those protections to additional approved vendors, while requiring strict cybersecurity standards consistent with National Institute of Standards and Technology guidelines. Vendors must also notify the Department of Justice within 30 days of entering into a contract with a law enforcement agency to store or process related materials. Liability protections would not apply in cases of intentional misconduct, gross negligence, or malicious acts, a summary of the key provisions in the bill said.
The bipartisan bill was cosponsored by U.S. Reps. Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA), among others. A Senate companion bill, S. 3023, is being led by U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
“Those helping law enforcement in the fight against child sexual exploitation must be able to securely store evidence of these horrific crimes,” said Sen. Blackburn. “Our bipartisan Safe Cloud Storage Act would ensure investigators can securely handle and store CSAM evidence in the cloud by providing limited liability protections. With this critical bill, we will continue our work to bring predators to justice and protect vulnerable children.”
The legislation is supported by a broad coalition of law enforcement and child protection organizations, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National District Attorneys Association, Thorn, the Child Rescue Coalition, the International Justice Mission, and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.