Clarifies crime of unlawful access concerning certain password protected communications in electronic storage.
This bill amends New Jersey's wiretapping statute to clarify criminal liability for unauthorized access to password-protected electronic communications, such as email accounts. It establishes that accessing a communication protected by a password without knowing and inputting that password, or without consent from at least one party, constitutes a crime. The bill creates two tiers of offenses: a fourth-degree crime for unauthorized access, and a third-degree crime if the access was motivated by commercial advantage, gain, or malicious destruction. This change removes any implied consent defense for individuals who access communications left unprotected because a user failed to log out properly.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Mar 19, 2026
Last action Mar 19, 2026
Floor votes
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Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
1
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0
Committee
0
Mar 19, 2026
Introduced
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Greg McGuckin
RRepublican
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