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Chairman Schlegel's PROTECT Act to improve platform reporting of child sexual abuse material advances
Summary
House Bill 220, introduced on behalf of Chairman Schlegel, would require online platforms to maintain conspicuous, usable reporting mechanisms for child sexual abuse material so reports can be routed to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The committee adopted a technical amendment to account for platforms requiring account registration and moved the bill as amended.
Chairman Schlegel presented House Bill 220, the PROTECT Act, to require covered online platforms to maintain an easy, conspicuous, and usable reporting mechanism for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), saying federal law already requires platforms to report once they become aware of CSAM but that reporting tools are often hard to find or use. "That's why a workable reporting mechanism on a platform is so important," he told the committee, citing Doe v. Twitter and stressing that platforms must be able to identify and act on CSAM reports.
Schlegel offered an amendment (set 32 37) to clarify exceptions when a platform cannot be accessed without account registration (for example, some video games) so the bill's usability standard accounts for those technical realities. The committee adopted the amendment and moved HB 220 as amended without objection. A single public commenter from the Louisiana Family Forum registered in support; no opposition speakers were recorded in the transcript.
The bill seeks to make reporting more actionable at the user interface level so that platforms can route reports promptly to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for law-enforcement referral. The committee moved the bill as amended for further consideration by the Legislature.
