Technology

Property insurance; use of aerial or satellite imagery. Prohibits an insurer from refusing to renew a policy written to insure an owner-occupied dwelling based on information obtained through the use of aerial or satellite imagery unless (i) such imagery has been captured not more than 12 months prior to the nonrenewal notice; (ii) the nonrenewal notice includes date-stamped aerial or satellite images of the insured property identifying the specific conditions that form the basis for nonrenewal and specifies any action that the insured may take to remedy such conditions; (iii) the insurer provides the insured a period of not less than 90 days to cure the identified conditions before the nonrenewal takes effect; and (iv) the insurer establishes a point of contact for the insured to submit documentation and a process to review such documentation. The bill requires the insurer to offer to renew coverage if the insured provides documentation, within the 90-day period, demonstrating that the identified conditions have been cured to the insurer's reasonable satisfaction.

Virginia Telephone Privacy Protection Act; voice service providers; duty of care; caller identification authentication; civil penalties. Provides that a voice service provider, defined in the bill, owes an affirmative duty of care to take reasonable and effective measures to prevent the origination, transmission, and completion of unlawful calls. The bill requires voice service providers to implement caller identification authentication technology consistent with the Secure Telephone Identity Revisited and Secure Handling of Asserted information using toKENs (STIR/SHAKEN) authentication framework, defined in the bill, in all internet protocol network segments under its control and shall implement functionally equivalent authentication, verification, or mitigation measures in non-internet protocol network segments to the extent technically feasible. The bill provides that a violation of its provisions constitutes a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.

Department of Law; Technology Governance and Coordination Program; report. Directs the Office of the Attorney General to establish a Technology Governance and Coordination Program to support the Commonwealth's response to emergent technologies, including artificial intelligence, algorithmic systems, biometric systems, and automated decision-making tools. The bill requires the Office of the Attorney General to submit an annual report to the Joint Commission on Technology and Science by December 1, 2026.

Department of Criminal Justice Services; law-enforcement agencies and sheriff's departments; policy on use of covered artificial intelligence systems. Requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish a model policy for the use of a covered artificial intelligence system, defined in the bill, by any state or local law-enforcement agency or sheriff's department by October 1, 2026. The bill also requires each local law-enforcement agency and sheriff's department and the Department of State Police to establish and adopt a written policy for the use of a covered AI system by such agency or department that meets or exceeds the model policy established by the Department of Criminal Justice Services by January 1, 2027. The bill requires such policies be publicly available on the law-enforcement agency's or sheriff's department's website.