Bill > S2054

This bill, titled "Relative to social media privacy protection," aims to protect students and employees from having their personal social media accounts accessed or monitored by educational institutions and employers. Specifically, it prohibits "educational institutions" (defined as higher education institutions and elementary/secondary schools) and employers from requiring or requesting students or employees to disclose usernames, passwords, or other access information for their "personal social media accounts," which are defined as accounts used solely for private communication unrelated to educational or business purposes. The bill also prevents these entities from forcing individuals to add school or company personnel to their social media contacts as a condition of admission, participation in activities, or employment. Furthermore, it prohibits taking adverse action against individuals for refusing to comply with such requests. While these protections generally apply, they do not extend to publicly available information, and educational institutions and employers can request access to personal social media accounts under specific circumstances, such as for legally mandated investigations, provided they notify the individual and have no other means of obtaining the information. The bill also allows for civil action and recovery of damages for violations.