FL H1491

All information held by the Department of Legal Affairs related to investigations of social media violations involving minors (s. 501.1736) and age verification violations for online materials harmful to minors (s. 501.1737) is made confidential and exempt from public records requirements during active investigations.

After an investigation is completed or becomes inactive, certain categories of information remain permanently confidential and exempt, including personal identifying information, computer forensic reports, information revealing data security weaknesses, and proprietary information of the social media platform or commercial entity.

The Department of Legal Affairs may disclose confidential investigation information in furtherance of its official duties, to notify the public or locate potential victims of improper use of customer records, or to other governmental entities for their official purposes.

"Proprietary information" is defined as information owned or controlled by the entity, treated as private, not publicly available, not previously disclosed except as required by law, and that reveals competitive interests whose disclosure would impair the entity's competitive advantage.

Both public records exemptions are subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act and will stand repealed on October 2, 2029, unless reenacted by the Legislature; the act's effective date is contingent on HB 3 or similar legislation being adopted in the same 2024 legislative session.