Bill > SB603

This bill amends Pennsylvania's crimes laws by adding Internet protections for minors that require commercial entities—defined as businesses operating publicly accessible websites where more than a third of the content is "harmful to minors" (explicit sexual material lacking serious value for children)—to use reasonable age verification methods, such as third-party services or transactional data like mortgage or employment records, to ensure users are at least 18 years old before granting access. The legislation explicitly exempts bona fide news-gathering organizations and standard internet service providers or search engines from liability, and it strictly prohibits businesses from retaining any personal identifying information collected during the age verification process. Furthermore, commercial entities that fail to verify ages or that improperly store users' personal data can be held legally liable for resulting damages, including court costs and attorney fees.