A 4782 New Jersey General Assembly · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Clarifies crime of unlawful access concerning certain password protected communications in electronic storage.

This bill amends New Jersey's wiretapping statute to clarify criminal liability for unauthorized access to password-protected electronic communications, such as email accounts. It establishes that accessing a communication protected by a password without knowing and inputting that password, or without consent from at least one party, constitutes a crime. The bill creates two tiers of offenses: a fourth-degree crime for unauthorized access, and a third-degree crime if the access was motivated by commercial advantage, gain, or malicious destruction. This change removes any implied consent defense for individuals who access communications left unprotected because a user failed to log out properly.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Mar 19, 2026 Last action Mar 19, 2026
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Mar 19, 2026
Introduced
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

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Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Greg McGuckin
Greg McGuckin
RRepublican
NJ
10