AL HB393

Prohibits commercial entities from knowingly publishing or distributing material harmful to minors on websites containing a substantial portion (more than 33 1/3 percent) of such material without performing reasonable age-verification methods.

Requires age-verification using either government-issued photo identification or a commercial age-verification system that uses public or private transactional data to confirm the individual is at least 18 years old.

Entities that violate age-verification requirements are liable for actual and punitive damages, court costs, and reasonable attorney fees; the Attorney General may recover damages on behalf of individuals.

Prohibits commercial entities and third parties from retaining any personally identifying information of individuals after access is granted, with civil liability for knowing violations.

Exempts news-gathering organizations, Internet service providers, search engines, and cloud service providers from liability when they are not responsible for creating the harmful content.

Effective October 1, 2024.