SB 309 creates North Carolina's first Uniform Electronic Wills Act, allowing residents to create legally valid wills using electronic means. The bill requires electronic wills to be signed by the person making the will (testator), stored in readable electronic form, and witnessed by two people - matching current paper-will requirements. It also establishes procedures for certifying paper copies of electronic wills for court use and converting existing paper wills to electronic format. This directly affects anyone in North Carolina creating or updating a will, providing a modern method to execute wills while maintaining legal safeguards. The bill aligns with recommendations from the North Carolina Bar Association's Estate Planning and Fiduciary Law Section.
SB 269 revises North Carolina's Insurance Guaranty Association Act to specifically include cybersecurity insurance coverage under the law. It defines "cybersecurity insurance" to cover losses from data breaches, ransomware, cyberattacks, and similar events, and sets a $500,000 cap per policy for all first- and third-party claims arising from a single cyber incident. This affects North Carolina residents or property located in the state who hold cybersecurity insurance policies with an insolvent insurer. The bill ensures the Guaranty Association pays covered claims up to this cap for cybersecurity events, while excluding punitive damages, high-net-worth claimants ($50M+ net worth), and certain other excluded claims.
SB 369 aims to ensure that certain telehealth providers can enroll as Medicaid providers in North Carolina. The bill specifies that individual health care providers, licensed by the state and offering services exclusively through telemedicine, do not need a physical presence in the state to be eligible for Medicaid enrollment. Additionally, medical provider groups that exclusively offer telemedicine services will not be required to have an in-state service address to enroll as Medicaid provider groups. This measure directly affects telehealth providers and Medicaid recipients by clarifying requirements for remote healthcare services.
HB 462, titled the "Personal Data Privacy/Social Media Safety Act," aims to protect North Carolinians by enacting two main components: the Personal Data Privacy Act and the Social Media Safety Act. The provided text details the "North Carolina Personal Data Privacy Act," which is set to take effect on January 1, 2026. This act establishes definitions for key terms such as "personal data," "biometric data," "precise geolocation data," and "consent," affecting North Carolina residents as "consumers" and entities that process their data as "controllers." It also outlines the framework for consumer rights regarding their personal data.
HB 934, the "Artificial Intelligence Regulatory Reform Act," establishes new regulations related to artificial intelligence and deepfakes. The bill creates a new criminal offense for the unlawful creation or distribution of "deepfakes" - images or videos created to deceive - without consent, when done to cause harm or influence an election. It also grants civil liability immunity to developers of artificial intelligence products when a "learned professional" uses their product to provide services. Under this provision, the learned professional would be solely responsible for any damages to their client resulting from errors generated by the AI product. This legislation affects individuals who create or distribute deepfakes, as well as AI product developers, licensed professionals, and their clients.
HB 301, titled "Social Media Protections for Minors Under 16," aims to regulate social media platforms for minors in North Carolina. The bill prohibits social media platforms from allowing children under 14 years of age to create accounts and requires them to terminate existing accounts for this age group, deleting their personal data. For minors aged 14 or 15, platforms must obtain parental or guardian consent before they can create or maintain an account. The North Carolina Department of Justice is responsible for enforcing these provisions, which allows for civil penalties and damages for violations, including potential lawsuits by affected minors.
HB 936 modifies North Carolina's laws governing telephone solicitations to specifically address robocalls and spam text messages. The bill defines "robocall" to include artificial or prerecorded voice messages, ringless voicemails, and scam texts, and applies new restrictions to "robocallers." It prohibits robocalls before 8:00 A.M. or after 9:00 P.M., forbids intimidating language, and prevents misleading caller identification. Additionally, it clarifies the requirements for "prior express written consent" needed for solicitors to contact individuals on the "Do Not Call" Registry, stipulating conditions for this consent.
House Bill 81 requires insurance institutions and agents to obtain written consent from applicants and policyholders before collecting, receiving, selling, or using vehicle telematics data. The bill mandates that individuals be notified how their telematics data will be used and that they can revoke consent at any time. Insurers must provide a reasonable means for individuals to revoke consent, which must be actioned within 24 hours. A violation of these provisions would be considered an unfair trade practice, with the act becoming effective October 1, 2025.
SB 408 prohibits state and local government employees, contractors, and individuals participating in state-funded programs from using or accessing TikTok and WeChat. The bill bans these "covered applications" on all government-issued devices, information technology, and any equipment owned or leased by state or local subdivisions. It mandates the removal of any existing installations within 30 days of enactment and requires state agencies to restrict access to these applications' websites. An exception is made for law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies for investigative purposes, with guidelines to be developed for such use.
HB 860, the Social Media Control in Information Technology Act, requires social media platforms with over 1 million U.S. monthly active users to stop using North Carolina minors' (under 18) personal data for advertising or algorithm-driven content recommendations. It mandates platforms to provide clear, easy-to-use privacy tools allowing users to control data sharing, with special opt-in consent required for minors' data. The bill prohibits "dark patterns" in consent processes and defines strict terms like "personal information" to cover data ranging from location to health details. Violations would be treated as unfair business practices under North Carolina law, with funds appropriated for enforcement. The law directly affects major social media platforms operating in North Carolina, focusing on protecting minors' data privacy rather than addressing broader social media use.
