An Act relative to social media privacy protection

This bill amends Massachusetts law to protect students and applicants from schools asking for their personal social media passwords or forcing them to add staff members as contacts. It prohibits educational institutions from requiring access to private social media accounts or threatening students with penalties for refusing to share such information, unless there is a specific legal investigation where the school must first notify the student and show that no other way exists to get the needed information. The legislation also establishes a civil remedy allowing aggrieved individuals to sue for damages, including up to $1,000 per violation and attorney fees, while explicitly stating that publicly available information remains accessible to schools. Additionally, the bill clarifies that these privacy protections do not override existing laws regarding the use of school-owned electronic equipment.