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Senate Bill 457 would broaden stalking law to explicitly include social‑media messaging, opponents warn of vagueness
Summary
SB457, as amended, expands Nevada's stalking statute to include accessing victims' social‑media accounts and private messaging; supporters say it updates statutes for online conduct, while defenders and civil‑liberties groups say some language is vague and could chill ordinary online behavior.
Supporters of the amended SB457 told the Assembly Judiciary Committee the bill modernizes Nevada's stalking law to capture online behaviors that previously were ambiguous under statute. "Section 2 sub 11 a includes accessing a social media account of the victim, their family member, or a person with whom they have a dating relationship as an act that may be part of a stalker's course of conduct," presenter Jennifer Noble said while outlining the amendment.
The amendment also broadens the definition of a "course of conduct" to include two or more acts by electronic means and updates the statutory language for what is commonly called cyberstalking to "include social media communications and similar means used to electronically publish, display, or distribute information," Noble said. She added that the bill defines "social media communication" to include private messaging on a social platform.
Opponents raised due‑process and enforcement concerns. Angela Knott of the Washoe County Public Defender's Office told the committee that a provision on page 17 defining "act" was too broad: "We find that when we read act, which includes without limitation, assessing a social media account of a specified person is too vague." Knott and others said the language could be read to criminalize routine online behavior, especially among young people who use private messages and social feeds extensively.
Why this matters: The change would make explicit that certain online acts can constitute stalking in Nevada. Supporters said the update is needed to reflect modern communications; opponents asked for narrower definitions or examples to reduce prosecutorial overreach.
