| Chapter 282 |
| 2025 -- S 0581 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/27/2025 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- COURTS -- COURT ADMINISTRATION |
Introduced By: Senators Burke, Tikoian, LaMountain, Pearson, and Appollonio |
| Date Introduced: February 26, 2025 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Chapter 8-15 of the General Laws entitled "Court Administration" is hereby |
| amended by adding thereto the following section: |
| 8-15-12. Rhode Island judicial security act. |
| (a) As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires |
| otherwise, have the following meanings: |
| (1) "Data aggregator" means a commercial entity that collects, assembles, or maintains |
| personal information concerning an individual or an employee of that entity in order to sell the |
| information or provide third-party access to the information. |
| (2) "Immediate family" means the spouse, domestic partner, child, step-child, parent, or |
| any other blood relative who lives in the same residence as a protected individual, as defined herein. |
| (3) "Personal information" means the Social Security number, residence addresses, home |
| phone numbers, mobile phone numbers, or personal email addresses of, and identifiable to, the |
| protected individual or immediate family member. |
| (4) "Protected Individual" means a retired, recalled, or current justice, judge, or magistrate |
| of the Rhode Island unified judicial system, as defined in § 8-15-1, and retired, recalled, or current |
| justices, judges, and magistrates of the United States Supreme Court, United States Courts of |
| Appeal, United States District Courts and United States Bankruptcy Courts who reside in the State |
| of Rhode Island. |
| (b)(1) No state agency, county agency, or municipal agency shall publicly post or display |
| the personal information of any protected individual following receipt of notice provided for in |
| subsection (b)(2) of this section without first obtaining the written permission of that individual. |
| (2) Each protected individual may file a written notice of their status as a protected |
| individual, for themselves and immediate family with any state, county, or municipal agency |
| requesting each state, county, or municipal agency to mark as confidential the protected |
| individual’s or immediate family member’s personal information. |
| (3) Upon receipt of a written request in accordance with this section, the state, county, or |
| municipal agency shall remove the protected individual’s or immediate family member’s personal |
| information from publicly available content within seventy-two (72) hours; and further, shall not |
| publicly post or display the personal information of any protected individual or immediate family |
| member without first obtaining written permission from the protected individual. |
| (4) This subsection (b) shall not prohibit the list of delinquent taxpayers published pursuant |
| to § 44-1-34 from containing the name of any protected individual or immediate family member, |
| the type of tax levied, and the amount of the delinquency, including interest and penalty. Addresses, |
| including the city or town and zip code, of any protected individual or immediate family member |
| shall not be disclosed on such list once the division of taxation receives a written notice filed in |
| accordance with subsection (b)(2) of this section. |
| (c)(1) In accordance with this section, it shall be unlawful for a data aggregator to sell, |
| license, trade, purchase, or otherwise provide or make available for consideration a protected |
| individual’s or immediate family member’s personal information following receipt of notice |
| provided for in subsection (b)(2) of this section. |
| (2) Each protected individual may file a written notice of their status as a protected |
| individual, for themselves and immediate family, to any person, data aggregator, business, or |
| association, requesting the person, data aggregator, business, or association mark as confidential |
| the protected individual’s or immediate family member’s personal information. |
| (3) In accordance with this section, upon receipt of a written request submitted by the |
| protected individual, either directly or through an agent, to the person, data aggregator, business, |
| or association, the person, data aggregator, business, or association shall remove the protected |
| individual’s or immediate family member’s personal information from publicly available content |
| within ten (10) business days; and further, shall not in the future publicly post or display the |
| personal information of any protected individual or immediate family member without first |
| obtaining written permission from the protected individual. |
| (4) Within ten (10) business days after receiving a protected individual’s written request, a |
| person, data aggregator, business, or association shall ensure that the protected individual’s or the |
| immediate family member’s personal information is not made available on any website or |
| subsidiary website controlled by the person, data aggregator, business, or association, except for |
| disclosures to governmental agencies, law enforcement, healthcare organizations, insurance |
| organizations, financial institutions, or in connection with fraud prevention services or legal |
| process. |
| (5) A person, data aggregator, business, or association shall comply with a written request |
| received from a protected individual's authorized agent if the request is submitted with a notarized |
| affidavit signed by the protected individual identifying their agent as being authorized to act on the |
| protected individual's behalf in accordance with this section. |
| (6) After receiving a protected individual’s written request, no person, data aggregator, |
| business, or association shall transfer the protected individual's or an immediate family member's |
| personally identifiable information to any other person, business, or association through any |
| medium except as provided herein. This section shall not apply to a transfer made at the request of |
| the protected individual or that is necessary to effectuate the request to the data aggregator, |
| business, or association from the protected individual. |
| (7) A protected individual, or their immediate family member, whose personally |
| identifiable information is made public as a result of a violation of this section may bring an action |
| seeking injunctive or declaratory relief in any court of competent jurisdiction within the State of |
| Rhode Island. If the court grants injunctive or declaratory relief, the person, business, or association |
| responsible for the violation shall be required to pay the individual’s costs and reasonable attorneys' |
| fees. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2026. |
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| LC001656/SUB A/3 |
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