In an effort to catch more child sex offenders, state lawmakers said Monday they are working to require Internet service providers to keep customers’ access records for a mandatory time period.
The move comes after news reports of federal agents who were unable to track down the Colorado computer that distributed a video showing the rape of a 2-year-old because Comcast, the Internet service provider, didn’t maintain the records.
“The ultimate endgame is to help law enforcement to track down the predators out there who are preying on our children,” said Republican Rep. Bob McCluskey of Fort Collins.
The problem, McCluskey said, is there is no uniform policy for how long records must be kept. Each company makes its own determination.
McCluskey is carrying House Bill 1011, an Internet safety bill, which he said he plans to amend to include the records provision.
He is working with industry and law enforcement to determine how long providers would be required to keep upload and download records, he said.
Comcast spokeswoman Cindy Parsons said the company is working with legislative leadership by providing technical and legal information.
“There are many forms these laws could take, and we’re cooperating with them to find the right solution,” she said.
HB 1011 makes using the Internet to lure or sexually exploit a child a felony. It also makes it a felony to possess more than 20 pieces of child pornography.
Shortly after McCluskey unveiled his plan last week, Democratic Rep. Gwyn Green of Golden announced she planned a similar amendment to one of her bills. She said Monday that she wants companies to keep records for a minimum of 6 months to a year.
“It’s critical that we be able to identify who is engaging in these behaviors,” Green said.
But Democratic Sen. Paula Sandoval, House Bill 1011’s Senate sponsor, said she thinks Green may have proposed the amendment for political reasons.
Green is trying to pass House Bill 1090, a controversial proposal to eliminate the statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit against private and public entities that harbored child sexual offenders.
“I think 1090 is struggling to pass right now, and certainly this amendment would probably help that,” Sandoval said of Green’s proposal.
But Green is not using the amendment for political reasons, she said, calling her bill “solid.”
“Unless somebody can read my mind, they shouldn’t be making those accusations,” Green said.
Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff said he supports the idea of requiring Internet service providers to keep their records. And, he said, he endorses both lawmakers’ legislation.
“I think when it comes to protecting kids from this kind of abuse, we should not be playing politics,” Romanoff said.
Staff writer Beth Potter contributed to this report.
Staff writer Chris Frates can be reached at cfrates@denverpost.com or 303-820-1633.
