Protecting Children from Online Predators Act of 2019

Protecting Children from Online Predators Act of 2019

This bill generally prohibits a covered interactive computer service from recommending a video to a user if such service knows or should have known that the video features one or more minors. (A covered interactive computer service refers to an interactive computer service that hosts or displays user-submitted video content and makes recommendations to users about which videos to view, including by automatically playing a video at the end of another video.)

Specifically, the bill requires a covered interactive computer service to ask each user who uploads video content to the service (1) whether the video features one or more minors; and (2) whether, in the case of a video that features one or more minors, the user wants to restrict the video to nonpublic viewership or make the video publicly available.

A covered interactive computer service may be held liable if the service recommends a video designated by the user who uploaded the video as featuring one or more minors, or the service recommends a video that was incorrectly designated by the user who uploaded the video as not featuring one or more minors.

The bill establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations.