Colorado bill could help law enforcement access social media information under investigation

A bill to help law enforcement investigate social media accounts received initial approval in the House on Friday.

The bill, HB26-1255, gives social media and online dating companies eight hours to confirm receipt of a judicial warrant and 72 hours to comply with it.

Lawmakers say this new timeline would have provided the FBI with the identity of the Evergreen shooter before he shot two students in September because of his online footprint in the months leading up to the shooting.

According to the Colorado General Assembly's website, the bill is designed to streamline the search-warrant process. It would also require social media platforms to notify local law enforcement if an account holder posts content that threatens imminent harm to themselves or others, expresses intent to commit a crime or attempts to entice others to commit crimes.

Failure to comply could result in penalties of up to $250,000 per violation.

The bill was introduced in February and is now under consideration by the House Judiciary Committee.