S. 1829: STOP CSAM Act of 2025
Sponsor
Josh Hawley
Republican · MO
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Jun 26, 2025
Placed on Senate floor schedule under General Orders. Calendar No. 106.
CSAM survivors get the right to sue platforms — forever
Why it matters
Platforms that intentionally host child sexual abuse material could face fines up to $5,000,000. Survivors could sue for $300,000 in liquidated damages — with no filing deadline, ever. The bill says Section 230 cannot block those claims. Twelve senators signed on, split six Republicans and six Democrats.
The bill does four things.
First, it expands privacy in federal court. If you were under 18 when a crime of sexual abuse, exploitation, or kidnapping happened, your name, online accounts, medical records, and school records would stay sealed — even after you turn 18. A judge could only unseal that information after finding that a compelling public interest outweighs the harm to you. Congress authorizes $25 million a year for courts to implement the procedures.
Second, it tightens the clock on CyberTipline reports. Platforms with actual knowledge of apparent CSAM get 60 days to file. Miss the deadline, and a company with 100 million-plus monthly users faces up to $850,000 in criminal fines for a first offense, $1 million for a second. Those fines double if someone is harmed. Platforms with more than 1 million monthly users and $50 million in annual revenue also owe an annual transparency report to the Attorney General and FTC.
Third, it creates a new criminal offense for platforms. Intentionally hosting CSAM, or knowingly promoting or facilitating exploitation, can trigger fines up to $1 million — or $5 million if someone is harmed. Good-faith compliance with court orders and law enforcement requests is carved out.
Fourth, the bill creates a new private right of action. Survivors can sue any interactive computer service or app store that intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly hosted CSAM or aided and abetted trafficking offenses. The payout: $300,000 in liquidated damages or actual damages, plus attorney fees, plus potential punitive damages and injunctions.
The bill says Section 230 cannot block these claims, and there is no statute of limitations — ever. Platforms that take down content within 48 hours (2 business days for services under 10 million monthly users) get a defense for reckless or knowing hosting claims. End-to-end encryption alone cannot make a platform liable, though the bill says encryption decisions can be admitted as evidence of intent.
What does S. 1829 do?
Survivors can sue platforms — with no filing deadline
Victims of child sexual exploitation can bring civil claims against any interactive computer service or app store that intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly hosted CSAM or aided trafficking offenses. Damages: $300,000 in liquidated damages or actual damages, plus attorney fees, plus possible punitive damages and injunctions. The bill says there is no statute of limitations on these claims.
Section 230 stops shielding platforms on CSAM claims
For the new civil claims against platforms that host or promote CSAM, the bill says Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act cannot be used to impair or limit the case. That's a narrow carve-out of an immunity shield platforms have relied on since 1996 — limited to this specific cause of action.
Intentionally hosting CSAM triggers fines up to $5 million
A new federal crime targets platforms that intentionally host child pornography or knowingly promote or facilitate sexual exploitation of minors. The base fine is up to $1 million; it rises to $5 million when someone is directly harmed. Good-faith compliance with court orders and law enforcement preservation requests is carved out.
Missing the 60-day report costs up to $1 million
Platforms have 60 days to file a CyberTipline report once they have actual knowledge of apparent CSAM. A first-time reporting failure at a company with 100 million-plus monthly users can cost up to $850,000 in criminal fines. A second offense: up to $1 million. Fines double if someone is harmed.
Survivors keep names sealed in court — into adulthood
If you were under 18 when a crime of sexual abuse, exploitation, or kidnapping happened, your name, online accounts, medical records, and school or juvenile records are presumed sealed in federal court. That presumption holds even after you turn 18. A judge can only unseal after finding that a compelling public interest outweighs the harm.
Fast takedowns limit exposure; encryption alone does not
A platform gets a defense to reckless or knowing hosting claims if it disables access to reported content within 48 hours — 2 business days for services with fewer than 10 million monthly users. The bill also says offering end-to-end encryption cannot itself create liability, though encryption decisions can be admitted as evidence of intent.
Who benefits from S. 1829?
Adult survivors of childhood exploitation who want to sue
They now have a new federal cause of action with $300,000 in liquidated damages or actual damages, plus attorney fees. No statute of limitations means they can file decades after the abuse occurred or the content was hosted.
Child victims and witnesses in federal court
They get a presumption that their name, address, online accounts, medical records, school records, and juvenile records stay sealed. The presumption follows them into adulthood. The bill authorizes $25 million a year for courts to implement the new procedures.
Families of exploited children seeking restitution
Courts can appoint trustees to hold restitution payments in trust for minors, incapacitated victims, or certain foreign victims. The bill also sets a restitution floor of $3,000 per child pornography production offense (or 10 percent of the victim's losses, if losses are under $3,000). The bill authorizes $15 million a year for courts to administer those trusts.
Law enforcement and child-safety investigators
Mandatory CyberTipline reporting within 60 days, annual transparency reports from large platforms by March 31 each year, and tripled civil penalties when a victim is harmed give investigators earlier evidence and more leverage.
Who is affected by S. 1829?
Large tech platforms (100 million-plus monthly users)
The biggest services face the heaviest exposure: criminal reporting-violation fines up to $850,000 for a first offense and up to $1 million for a second. Intentionally hosting CSAM can reach $5 million in fines when a victim is harmed. Annual transparency reports are due March 31 each year to the Attorney General and FTC.
Smaller platforms and app stores
They remain subject to the reporting deadlines, civil lawsuits, and the new private right of action. App stores face direct liability for knowingly promoting or facilitating trafficking offenses. The 48-hour takedown window extends to 2 business days for services with fewer than 10 million monthly users.
Encrypted messaging services
Offering end-to-end encryption by itself cannot make a provider liable under the bill. But encryption-related decisions can be admitted in court as evidence of motive, intent, or plan under the Federal Rules of Evidence.
Federal courts
Judges and staff take on new presumption-based privacy rules, appoint and oversee restitution trustees for minor and incapacitated victims, and administer the $40 million in annual authorizations the bill provides.
Cost & Funding
Authorization
$40,000,000 annually — $25,000,000 for court victim-protection procedures and $15,000,000 for restitution trust administration
- Section 2 authorizes $25,000,000 per fiscal year to the federal courts to carry out the expanded victim-protection procedures.
- Section 3 authorizes $15,000,000 per fiscal year to implement restitution trusts for minor, incapacitated, and certain foreign victims.
- Back-of-the-napkin: $40,000,000 in new annual authorizations before any additional enforcement, litigation, or platform compliance costs.
- Criminal fines and civil penalties collected under the bill's reporting-violation provisions are deposited into the existing Child Pornography Victims Reserve.
- The bill text does not include a CBO cost estimate.
What Congress Is Saying
S. 1829 has come up 12 times in the Congressional Record so far.
S. 1829 also appeared in 1 more Senate floor reference and 5 routine cosponsor filings.
S1829 Legislative Journey
Committee Action
Jun 26, 2025
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Passed Committee
Jun 12, 2025
Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Committee Action
May 21, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
About the Sponsor
Josh Hawley
Republican, MO · 7 years in Congress
Committees: Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, the Judiciary
View full profile →
Cosponsors (12)
This bill has 12 cosponsors: 6 Democrats, 6 Republicans, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 11 states: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, and 8 more.
Richard Durbin
Democrat · IL
Amy Klobuchar
Democrat · MN
Chuck Grassley
Republican · IA
Mark Kelly
Democrat · AZ
Katie Britt
Republican · AL
Ashley Moody
Republican · FL
Cindy Hyde-Smith
Republican · MS
Richard Blumenthal
Democrat · CT
John Kennedy
Republican · LA
Ruben Gallego
Democrat · AZ
Jeanne Shaheen
Democrat · NH
James Lankford
Republican · OK
Committee Sponsors
Judiciary Committee
7 of 22 committee members cosponsored
8 Republicans across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
S. 1829 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Judiciary
- Chamber
- Senate
- Policy
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Introduced
- May 21, 2025
Placed on Senate floor schedule under General Orders. Calendar No. 106.
Jun 26, 2025
Official Sources
Official bill page with text, actions, sponsors, and status for the STOP CSAM Act of 2025.
Section 2 of the bill amends this federal child-victim privacy and court-protection statute.
The bill's platform-reporting provisions build on the federal statute that requires providers to report apparent CSAM to NCMEC.
DOJ's CEOS is the federal unit focused on prosecuting child exploitation offenses that are central to the bill's enforcement framework.
The bill requires annual transparency reports to be filed with FTC leadership for large online platforms.
This existing federal civil remedy for certain child sexual exploitation harms provides key legal context for the bill's new private right of action.
The bill authorizes funding for federal courts to implement victim-protection procedures and restitution-related court work.
S. 1829 Common Questions
Does S. 1829 override Section 230 for CSAM cases?
For the new private lawsuits targeting platforms that host or promote child sexual abuse material, yes. The bill explicitly says the federal platform-immunity statute cannot be used to limit or dismiss those claims. The carve-out applies only to those specific CSAM-related claims, not to other types of content.
How much can victims win in a S. 1829 lawsuit?
Victims can recover actual damages or $300,000 in liquidated damages — whichever applies — plus attorney fees and litigation costs. The court can also award punitive damages and grant injunctions or restraining orders on top of that.
Is there a deadline to sue under S. 1829?
No. The bill says there is no statute of limitations on the new civil claim. A victim could file decades after the abuse happened or the content was hosted.
What does S. 1829 require platforms to report, and how fast?
Platforms with actual knowledge of apparent child sexual abuse material must file a CyberTipline report within 60 days. A first-time failure can cost up to $850,000 at companies with 100 million-plus monthly users, and up to $1 million for a second offense. Penalties double if someone is harmed.
Can adult survivors keep their identities sealed in federal court under S. 1829?
Yes — with a strong presumption. If you were under 18 when the crime happened, your name, online accounts, medical records, and school records are presumed sealed, even after you turn 18. A judge can only unseal after finding a compelling public interest that outweighs the harm to you.
Does offering encryption expose platforms to liability under S. 1829?
No, not by itself. The bill explicitly says offering end-to-end encryption, lacking decryption keys, or refusing to weaken encryption cannot be the basis for liability on its own. But encryption-related decisions can be admitted as evidence of intent or motive.
Can a platform avoid S. 1829 liability by taking content down quickly?
Sometimes. If the platform removes reported CSAM within 48 hours of gaining knowledge — 2 business days for services with fewer than 10 million monthly users — it has a defense for reckless or knowing hosting claims. The defense does not apply to claims about intentional hosting or aiding and abetting trafficking.
Who sponsors S. 1829 and where does it stand?
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced the bill on May 21, 2025. It has 12 bipartisan cosponsors — six Republicans, six Democrats — including Dick Durbin, Chuck Grassley, Amy Klobuchar, and Richard Blumenthal. The Senate Judiciary Committee reported it favorably, and it now sits on the Senate Calendar under General Orders, Calendar No. 106.
Based on S. 1829 bill text
S. 1829 Bill Text
“To combat the sexual exploitation of children by supporting victims and promoting accountability and transparency by the tech industry.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
Get notified when S. 1829 moves
Committee votes, floor action, cosponsor changes — straight to your inbox.
Bill alerts + Legisletter's monthly briefing. Unsubscribe anytime.
Crime and Law Enforcement Bills
9 related bills we're tracking
Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 402.
Jan 30, 2026
Assault Weapons Ban of 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Apr 30, 2025
Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act of 2025
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Apr 9, 2025
Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act of 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Feb 13, 2025
Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Jun 4, 2025
Protect and Serve Act of 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Feb 25, 2025
Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2026
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Feb 17, 2026
Combating Illicit Xylazine Act
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Feb 12, 2025
Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act
Received in the Senate.
Feb 24, 2026
Trending Right Now
Bills gaining momentum across Congress
INSULIN Act of 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mar 25, 2026
Congressional Tribute to Constance Baker Motley Act of 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Sep 11, 2025
GUARDRAILS Act
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Mar 26, 2026
Tracking Crime and Law Enforcement in Congress? Monitor bills, track cosponsor momentum, and launch advocacy campaigns — all from one advocacy platform.