S.Amdt. 2966

The STOP CSAM Act of 2025 (Strengthening Transparency and Obligations to Protect Children Suffering from Abuse and Mistreatment Act of 2025) is an amendment to bill H.R. 3944. Its purpose is to strengthen protections for child victims and witnesses in federal court, hold tech companies accountable for child sexual exploitation, and expand legal remedies for victims.

The amendment aims to change or add the following to the bill:

Protections for Victims and Witnesses

• It expands the definition of covered persons and protected information to better shield the identities of child victims and witnesses in court.
• It establishes a presumption that public disclosure of a covered person's protected information would be detrimental.
• It authorizes funding for the courts to carry out these protections.

Tech Industry Accountability

• It mandates that providers report apparent child pornography or planned violations to the NCMEC CyberTipline within 60 days of obtaining knowledge.
• It requires large providers (those with over 1 million monthly users and $50 million in revenue) to submit annual reports on their safety policies and the efficacy of their tools to protect children.
• It introduces criminal and civil penalties for providers that fail to report or preserve materials.
• It makes it unlawful for an interactive computer service to intentionally host child pornography or knowingly facilitate specific child exploitation crimes.

Restitution and Civil Remedies

• It updates restitution statutes to ensure victims of child pornography production and trafficking receive payment.
• It allows the court to appoint a trustee or fiduciary to manage restitution funds for minors or incapacitated victims.
• It creates a private right of action, allowing victims to sue app stores or interactive computer services for the intentional, knowing, or reckless promotion, hosting, or storing of child pornography and exploitation.
• It specifies that section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934 cannot be used to limit these new civil claims.