HR-7834 — Safe Cloud Storage Act

YourVoice.Now Summary

Corporate BenefitsCivil LibertiesCriminal Justice & Due ProcessTransparency & Accountability

Cloud firms that store child abuse evidence for police could not be sued for that work — but must guard it tightly.

Corporate Benefits

Legal shield for police storage vendors — lawsuits and charges blocked

A company hired to hold this evidence could not be sued or charged for doing that work. Today a firm that stores such files carries real legal risk just for having them.

Legal shield for police storage vendors — careless or intentional acts excluded

The shield would drop if the company is careless, acts on purpose to cause harm, or uses the files for any other reason. Someone harmed by a mishandled file could still take the firm to court.

Civil Liberties

Protection of victims' images from leaks — encryption and yearly audits

Companies would have to encrypt the files and follow federal cybersecurity standards. Only a small, listed group of staff could open them, and an outside auditor would check the setup every year.

Protection from images being stored overseas — police may still approve it

The evidence would have to stay inside the United States. The one exception is when the hiring agency clearly agrees that moving it abroad is needed for an investigation.

Protection would cover intimate images of minors — including AI-made fakes

The rules would reach a third kind of file: an intimate image of a minor, including an AI-made fake of a real child. Those files would get the same encryption, access limits, and U.S.-only storage as the rest.

Criminal Justice & Due Process

Minimum time evidence must be kept — through the sentence and appeals

Where no other rule sets a deadline, the evidence would have to be held at least as long as the sentence, including the time for appeals. Agencies would also have to follow the FBI's security policy for this data.

Evidence protected if a contract ends — vendor must keep holding it

If an agency stops paying or ends the contract without arranging a lawful handoff, the company could not simply delete the files. It would have to keep them safe until police or prosecutors take custody.

Tribal police could hire these storage vendors — same rules would apply

The list of agencies that could hire one of these companies would take in Tribal law enforcement and prosecutors, alongside federal, state, and local ones.

Transparency & Accountability

Records of who holds this evidence — Justice Department told in 30 days

Within 30 days of signing a contract, a company would have to tell the Justice Department who it is, which agency hired it, and how long the deal runs. It would also have to report later changes.

Alerts when an evidence contract fails — top prosecutors told in 30 days

If a police agency misses payments or walks away from the contract, the company would have 30 days to notify the Justice Department, or the state attorney general for state and local agencies.

Yearly outside security audit of vendors — problems must be fixed promptly

An outside auditor would test the company's security once a year against federal standards. The company would have to fix what the audit finds, though the results would not be made public.

Outside security checks of government systems — would not be required

The yearly audit would apply to the hired company, not to the police or prosecutors. The bill says nothing in this section allows or requires an audit of a government agency or any system it runs.

More about this bill

Most people would see no change in daily life. Police and prosecutors must store the evidence in child sexual abuse cases, including the images themselves. Under this bill, they could pay outside companies to keep that evidence in the cloud. The evidence covered would also include intimate images of a minor, such as AI-made fakes of a real child. A company doing that storage work could not be sued or charged for it. It could still be taken to court for careless or intentional acts. Tribal police and prosecutors could hire these companies too. Those companies would face new security rules. Files would need strong encryption. They could be opened only with the agency's permission. Each company would go through a yearly outside security check. Police and prosecutor systems would not face that check. Files would have to stay in the United States unless the hiring agency approved a move. Where no other rule sets a deadline, evidence would be kept through the sentence and any appeals. The bill sets no start date, so the rules would apply once it became law.

Congressional Summary

Congress's official summary of this bill still describes an earlier version of the text, so we have left it out here. You can read it on Congress.gov.

Congress.gov →

Legislative Subjects

Civil actions and liabilityComputer security and identity theftCrimes against childrenDigital mediaDomestic violence and child abuseEvidence and witnessesLaw enforcement administration and fundingPhotography and imagingPornographyPublic contracts and procurementSex offenses

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: House
Status: summarized
Action: Passed House
Action Date: 2026-09-16
Date Added: 2026-09-09
Source: Congress.gov →

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