Technology (Digital Government)

New Jersey Assembly Bill 4015, the "New Jersey Kids Code Act," requires major online services (like social media and games) that minors are likely to use to set default privacy settings to the highest protection level for children. It prohibits these services from showing targeted ads to minors, using manipulative design tricks to change privacy settings, collecting certain personal data without clear consent, or promoting restricted products to children. The bill also mandates annual public reports detailing how these platforms protect minors’ privacy, their data practices, safety tools for parents, and how much time children spend on their services. This law directly affects large online platforms operating in New Jersey, not small websites or services not used by minors.

This bill creates an Office of Information Privacy within New Jersey's Department of Community Affairs to manage requests for redacting home addresses from public records. It directly affects judicial officers, law enforcement officers, child protective investigators, prosecutors, and their immediate family members living in the same household. The key mechanism establishes a secure online portal where authorized individuals (like family members or designees) can request or revoke redaction of covered persons' home addresses, bypassing standard public disclosure requirements. The office will handle these requests, evaluate exceptions, and provide clear guidance on the redaction process. This change aims to enhance privacy protections for these public safety workers and their families by streamlining how their home addresses are handled in public records.

This bill requires New Jersey's Attorney General to create an online portal for law enforcement officers to report misconduct by other officers. Officers must report within 72 hours if they witness unjustifiable force (per N.J.S.2C:3-7), civil rights violations (per P.L. 2003, c.3), or any criminal offense committed by another officer. The portal also allows anonymous reporting of non-criminal policy violations, with submissions using random identifiers instead of personal details. This directly affects all law enforcement officers in the state who observe misconduct.

This New Jersey bill (S 1354) requires businesses that collect personal data (called "controllers" or "processors") to permanently remove identifying information from that data so it cannot be linked to specific people. It specifically prohibits these businesses from attempting to re-link de-identified data back to individuals or devices. To comply, businesses must take reasonable steps to ensure data cannot be traced to a person, publicly commit to keeping it de-identified, and require any third parties receiving the data to follow the same rules. This directly affects companies handling personal data in New Jersey, including data brokers and digital services.

S 2185 establishes the New Jersey Innovation Authority, a new state agency within the Department of the Treasury focused on modernizing government technology. The Authority will be governed by a 13-member board (including four state officials and nine public members appointed by the Governor with tech expertise) and will develop digital solutions to improve public services. It can hire staff without civil service restrictions and must undergo a 10-day Governor review period before implementing decisions. This bill directly affects state agencies seeking to streamline services and benefits the public through more efficient digital government interactions.