Safe Cloud Storage Act

This bill, formally titled the "Safe Cloud Storage Act," creates a legal framework allowing law enforcement agencies to use third-party cloud storage providers ("approved vendors") to securely store child sexual abuse material (CSAM) as evidence during investigations and prosecutions. It addresses a critical gap where current laws criminalize CSAM possession, making it legally risky for law enforcement to outsource evidence storage to specialized tech vendors despite the operational need for secure, scalable digital evidence management. The bill grants broad civil and criminal liability protection to these vendors *only* when they are formally contracted by law enforcement to store, maintain, and provide access to CSAM evidence, while imposing strict cybersecurity, access control, and auditing requirements. Its purpose is to modernize evidence handling by leveraging private-sector cloud technology without exposing vendors to prosecution for lawful evidence storage, thereby improving investigative efficiency and evidence integrity in child exploitation cases. The bill amends the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008 to establish clear rules: Vendors must store all data exclusively within the U.S., use NIST cybersecurity standards and end-to-end encryption, limit employee access, undergo annual security audits, and retain evidence per legal requirements. Crucially, liability protection is voided if vendors intentionally access material, act negligently, or breach contractual terms. Law enforcement agencies must also ensure evidence retention complies with FBI standards or applicable statutes. This balances law enforcement’s practical needs with robust safeguards to prevent misuse or leaks of highly sensitive evidence.