Technology (Data Privacy)

HB 1367 establishes a new criminal offense for "doxing" in New Hampshire, defined as intentionally publishing another person's personal information (like addresses, phone numbers, or financial details) without consent to threaten, harass, or cause harm. It makes basic doxing a class A misdemeanor, escalating to a class B felony if it causes physical harm, over $1,000 in economic loss, or occurs as part of a pattern of harassment. Victims can also pursue civil lawsuits for at least $1,000 per violation, plus punitive damages, injunctions, and attorney fees. The law explicitly excludes lawful public records, consented sharing, reporting crimes to police, and protected speech like journalism.

SB 622 expands New Hampshire's identity fraud law to explicitly protect businesses, government agencies, and other organizations (referred to as "entities") alongside individuals. It adds a clear definition of "entity" to include corporations, trusts, government bodies, and their departments, and updates the offense to cover fraud committed against these entities. The bill makes it a crime to obtain or use someone's personal information (like account numbers or passwords) without authorization to impersonate an entity or assist others in doing so. This change directly affects organizations that could face financial harm from identity fraud targeting their accounts or data. The law takes effect January 1, 2027, with no estimated state or local cost impact.

HB 1658 requires app stores operating in New Hampshire to verify users' age categories (e.g., child, teenager) and obtain parental consent for minors under 18. It mandates that app stores create "minor accounts" (for users under 18) linked to "parent accounts" (for adults), and disclose key information like an app's age rating, content description, data collection practices, and data protection methods to parents before consent. The bill also requires re-obtaining parental consent for significant app changes, such as new in-app purchases or altered data collection. This law directly affects app store providers (e.g., Apple App Store, Google Play), app developers, and parents of minors in New Hampshire.