Delaware · House Bill 445 · 152nd General Assembly

Reverse Keyword Court Orders/Prevent

HB 445 Sponsored by Madinah Wilson-Anton Died in committee

  1. Introduced May 14, 2024
  2. In committee May 14, 2024
  3. Died  
  4. Passed the Senate  
  5. To the governor  
  6. Became law  

What it does

The legislature's own summary of the bill, or its official long title.

Reverse keyword court orders enable the government to obtain technology search data without identifying any specific person as to which there is probable cause to believe they have committed or will imminently commit a crime. The profusion of electronic devices and apps in recent years has allowed recordation of numerous details of citizen’s everyday lives, that the government should not be permitted to collect and…

Read the full title (177 words)

Reverse keyword court orders enable the government to obtain technology search data without identifying any specific person as to which there is probable cause to believe they have committed or will imminently commit a crime. The profusion of electronic devices and apps in recent years has allowed recordation of numerous details of citizen’s everyday lives, that the government should not be permitted to collect and review at will. Such general searches allow the government to sweep in personal information about hundreds or thousands of people who are not suspected of having committed any crime. These searches are an invasion of privacy, have a potentially chilling effect on civil liberties, and sidestep requirements for individualized suspicion that are otherwise required for a lawful search. This Act would prohibit law enforcement and courts from requesting, issuing, or enforcing reverse-keyword court orders and reverse keyword requests. It also creates a private right of action for an individual whose personal information was obtained in violation of this Act and requires the suppression of evidence derived from an unlawful or reverse-keyword search.

Every action

4 steps, oldest first, as the legislature records them.

  1. CommitteeIntroduced and Assigned to Judiciary Committee in House · House Judiciary
  2. HouseAmendment HA 1 to HB 445 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
  3. CommitteeReported Out of Committee (Judiciary) in House with 1 Favorable, 4 On Its Merits, 1 Unfavorable · House Judiciary
  4. HouseAmendment HA 2 to HB 445 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

Roll calls

No recorded votes on this bill yet.

Sponsors

The member who introduced it.

From Delaware's official records (legis.delaware.gov), checked Nov 1, 2026. Text links go to the official versions; LegiList does not copy bill text.