Florida Senate - 2015                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 102
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì568310vÎ568310                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                   Comm: RS            .                                
                  02/05/2015           .                                
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       The Committee on Judiciary (Ring) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. The Division of Law Revision and Information is
    6  directed to create chapter 740, Florida Statutes, consisting of
    7  ss. 740.001-740.701, Florida Statutes, to be entitled “Privacy
    8  Expectation Afterlife and Choices Act.”
    9         Section 2. Section 740.001, Florida Statutes, is created to
   10  read:
   11         740.001 Short title.—This chapter may be cited as the
   12  “Privacy Expectation Afterlife and Choices Act.”
   13         Section 3. Section 740.101, Florida Statutes, is created to
   14  read:
   15         740.101 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the term:
   16         (1) “Contents,” when used with respect to any wire, oral,
   17  or electronic communication, includes any information concerning
   18  the substance, purport, or meaning of that communication, as
   19  defined in 18 U.S.C. s. 2510(8), and includes the subject line
   20  of a communication.
   21         (2) “Electronic communication” means any transfer of signs,
   22  signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any
   23  nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio,
   24  electromagnetic, photoelectronic, or photooptical system that
   25  affects interstate or foreign commerce. The term does not
   26  include:
   27         (a) A wire or oral communication;
   28         (b) A communication made through a tone-only paging device;
   29         (c) A communication from a tracking device; or
   30         (d) Electronic funds transfer information stored by a
   31  financial institution in a communications system used for the
   32  electronic storage and transfer of funds, as defined in 18
   33  U.S.C. s. 2510(12).
   34         (3) “Electronic communication service” means any service
   35  that provides to the service users the ability to send or
   36  receive wire or electronic communications, as defined in 18
   37  U.S.C. s. 2510(15).
   38         (4) “Electronic communications system” means any wire,
   39  radio, electromagnetic, photooptical, or photoelectronic
   40  facilities for the transmission of wire or electronic
   41  communications, and any computer facilities or related
   42  electronic equipment for the electronic storage of such
   43  communications, as defined in 18 U.S.C. s. 2510(14).
   44         (5) “Provider” means an entity that provides an electronic
   45  communications service or remote computing service as defined in
   46  18 U.S.C. s. 2510 or s. 2711.
   47         (6) “Record or other information pertaining to a user” has
   48  the same meaning as in 18 U.S.C. s. 2702(c).
   49         (7) “Remote computing service” means the provision to the
   50  public of computer storage or processing services by means of an
   51  electronic communications system, as defined in 18 U.S.C. s.
   52  2711(2).
   53         (8) “User” means a person that:
   54         (a) Uses an electronic communication service; and
   55         (b) Is authorized by the provider of such service to engage
   56  in such use, as defined in 18 U.S.C. s. 2510(13).
   57         Section 4.  Section 740.201, Florida Statutes, is created
   58  to read:
   59         740.201 Powers granted to a personal representative.—
   60         (1) A probate court with jurisdiction of the estate of a
   61  deceased user shall order the deceased user’s provider to
   62  disclose to the personal representative of such estate a record
   63  or other information pertaining to the deceased user, not
   64  including the contents of communications or stored contents, if
   65  the court makes the following findings of facts:
   66         (a) The user is deceased;
   67         (b) The deceased user was the subscriber to or customer of
   68  the provider’s service;
   69         (c) The account belonging to the deceased user has been
   70  identified with specificity, including a unique identifier
   71  assigned by the provider;
   72         (d) There are no other authorized users or owners of the
   73  deceased user’s account;
   74         (e) Disclosure is not in violation of 18 U.S.C. ss. 2701 et
   75  seq., 47 U.S.C. s. 222, or other applicable law;
   76         (f) The request for disclosure is narrowly tailored to
   77  effect the purpose of the administration of the estate;
   78         (g) The personal representative demonstrates a good faith
   79  belief that account records are relevant to resolve fiscal
   80  assets of the estate;
   81         (h) The request seeks information spanning no more than 1
   82  year before the date of death; and
   83         (i) The request is not in conflict with the deceased user’s
   84  will or testament.
   85         (2) A provider shall disclose to the personal
   86  representative of the estate of a deceased user the contents of
   87  the deceased user’s account to the extent reasonably available
   88  only if the personal representative gives the provider all of
   89  the following:
   90         (a) A written request for the contents of the deceased
   91  user’s account;
   92         (b) A copy of the death certificate of the deceased user;
   93  and
   94         (c) An order of the court of probate having by law
   95  jurisdiction of the estate of the deceased user which requires
   96  the estate to first indemnify the provider from all liability in
   97  complying with the order and which finds that:
   98         1. The user is deceased;
   99         2. The deceased user was the subscriber to or customer of
  100  the provider’s service;
  101         3. The account belonging to the deceased user has been
  102  identified with specificity, including a unique identifier
  103  assigned by the provider;
  104         4. There are no other authorized users or owners of the
  105  deceased user’s account;
  106         5. In the deceased user’s will or by the setting within the
  107  product of service regarding how the account’s contents may be
  108  treated after a set period of inactivity or other event, the
  109  deceased user expressly consented to the disclosure of the
  110  contents of the deceased user’s account by the executor or
  111  administrator of the estate of the deceased user; and
  112         6. Disclosure of the contents is not in violation of 18
  113  U.S.C. ss. 2701 et seq., 47 U.S.C. s. 222, or other applicable
  114  law.
  115         Section 5. Section 740.301, Florida Statutes, is created to
  116  read:
  117         740.301Undue burden restriction.—A court that has issued
  118  an order to a provider to disclose a record or other information
  119  pertaining to a deceased user to the personal representative of
  120  the deceased user’s estate pursuant to s. 740.201 shall quash or
  121  modify such order on a motion made promptly by the provider if
  122  compliance with such order would cause an undue burden on the
  123  provider or if any requirement in s. 740.201 is not satisfied.
  124         Section 6. Section 740.401, Florida Statutes, is created to
  125  read:
  126         740.401 Respecting user choices and applicable laws.—
  127         (1) Notwithstanding s. 740.201, a provider may not be
  128  compelled to disclose any record or other information pertaining
  129  to a deceased user if:
  130         (a) The deceased user expressed a different intent through:
  131         1. Deletion of the records or contents during the user’s
  132  lifetime; or
  133         2. Affirmatively indicating through a setting within the
  134  product or service regarding how the user’s records or contents
  135  may be treated after a set period of inactivity or other event;
  136         (b) The provider is aware of any indication of lawful
  137  access to the account after the date of the deceased user’s
  138  death or that the account is not that of the deceased user; or
  139         (c) Disclosure violates other applicable law.
  140         (2) This chapter does not confer upon the recipient any
  141  greater rights in the contents than those held by the deceased
  142  user.
  143         Section 7. Section 740.501, Florida Statutes, is created to
  144  read:
  145         740.501Right to notify of a request.—A provider may send a
  146  notice to an account that a request for information was made
  147  pursuant to s. 740.201 and may provide any current user of the
  148  account a reasonable period of time to object to disclosure,
  149  during which a disclosure may not be made. If a user notifies
  150  the provider that he or she objects within the provided period
  151  of time, a disclosure may not be made.
  152         Section 8. Section 740.601, Florida Statutes, is created to
  153  read:
  154         740.601Limiting posting as the deceased.—A provider is not
  155  required to allow a party requesting a record or other
  156  information pertaining to a deceased user of the provider’s
  157  service to assume control of the deceased user’s account.
  158         Section 9.  Section 740.701, Florida Statutes, is created
  159  to read:
  160         740.701 Compliance in good faith liability protection.—A
  161  provider may not be held liable in any civil or criminal action
  162  for compliance in good faith with a court order issued pursuant
  163  to this act.
  164         Section 10. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.
  165  
  166  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  167  And the title is amended as follows:
  168         Delete everything before the enacting clause
  169  and insert:
  170                        A bill to be entitled                      
  171         An act relating to digital assets; providing a
  172         directive to the Division of Law Revision and
  173         Information; creating s. 740.001, F.S.; providing a
  174         short title; creating s. 740.101, F.S.; defining
  175         terms; creating s. 740.201, F.S.; requiring a probate
  176         court with jurisdiction over the estate of a deceased
  177         user to order certain entities to disclose specified
  178         information pertaining to the deceased user to the
  179         personal representative of the estate of the user
  180         under certain circumstances; providing exceptions;
  181         requiring a provider to disclose to the personal
  182         representative the contents of the deceased user’s
  183         account only if the personal representative provides
  184         specific information; creating s. 740.301, F.S.;
  185         requiring a court issuing a certain order, upon a
  186         motion by the provider, to quash or modify such order
  187         if compliance with the order would cause an undue
  188         burden on the provider; creating s. 740.401, F.S.;
  189         prohibiting a provider from being compelled to
  190         disclose any record or any contents of communications
  191         under certain circumstances; providing that no greater
  192         rights are conferred upon the recipient than those
  193         held by the deceased user; creating s. 740.501, F.S.;
  194         authorizing a provider to notify an account user that
  195         a request for information was made and to provide any
  196         current user of the account a reasonable amount of
  197         time to object to disclosure; prohibiting the provider
  198         from making a disclosure during such time; prohibiting
  199         the provider from making a disclosure if the user
  200         notifies the provider that he or she objects to
  201         disclosure; creating s. 740.601, F.S.; providing that
  202         a provider is not required to allow a requesting party
  203         to assume control of the deceased user’s account;
  204         creating s. 740.701, F.S.; prohibiting a provider from
  205         being liable in any civil or criminal action for good
  206         faith compliance with a court order; providing an
  207         effective date.