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Hawaii State Legislature· SB 888Act 253, on 07/14/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1355).

Prohibits operators of smart household security devices from sharing user data with law enforcement agencies unless the user consents, the law enforcement agency obtains a judicial warrant, or there is an emergency situa, the official text

Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official page posted by the Hawaii State Legislature, fetched 2026-08-29. Where this bill amends existing law, language marked for deletion in the official page appears here in brackets. This is the first conference draft. The official bill page.
THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

888

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

S.D. 2

STATE OF HAWAII

H.D. 2

C.D. 1

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION.

BE IT
ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1.  Chapter 481B,
Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part I to be
appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§481B-   Smart household security devices; data
sharing with law enforcement; prohibition; penalties.  (a)
An operator shall not share smart household security device user data
with a law enforcement agency unless:

(1)  The
user consents in writing to share their data with a law enforcement agency;

(2)  The
law enforcement agency provides the operator with a judicial warrant requiring
the operator to share the data with the law enforcement agency; or

(3)  There
is an emergency situation; provided that:

(A)  The emergency involves a clear and present danger of imminent
death or serious bodily harm to a person or persons resulting from a
kidnapping, an abduction, or the holding of a hostage by force or the threat of
the imminent use of force;

(B)  There was no prior notice of the emergency sufficient to obtain
prior judicial approval, and the law enforcement officer reasonably believes
that an order permitting the obtaining of smart household security device data
would be issued were there prior judicial review;

(C)  The smart household security device data is necessary and the
only potential data available to prevent imminent death or serious bodily harm
to a person or persons; and

(D)  The smart household security device data must and can be
accessed before a judicial warrant could be issued to prevent imminent death or
serious bodily harm to a person or persons.

(b)
An operator shall not require a user to consent to the sharing of smart
household security device data with a law enforcement agency as a condition of
using a smart household security device.
An operator shall clearly and conspicuously inform the user, through a
visible disclaimer, that the user is not required to consent to sharing data
with a law enforcement agency and that refusing to consent will not terminate
the user's ability to use the smart household security device.

(c)
Any violation of this section shall be deemed an unfair or deceptive act
or practice in trade or commerce in violation of chapter 480.

(d)  The attorney general may bring an action
based on a violation of this section to recover all of the following relief:

(1)  Injunctive relief;

(2)  Damages in an amount equal to the
greater of:

(A)  Actual damages; or

(B)  A civil penalty in accordance with
section 480‑3.1; and

(3)  Reasonable
attorneys' fees and costs.

(e)
Notwithstanding section 480-2 or any law to the contrary, and
notwithstanding subsection (f), no person, including a consumer, may bring a
private action to enforce this section or a private action under any other law
based on a violation of this section.

(f)  The duties, remedies, and obligations imposed
by this section shall be cumulative to the duties, remedies, or obligations
imposed under other law and shall not be construed to relieve an operator from
any duties, remedies, or obligations imposed under any other law.

(g)
For the purposes of this section:

"Judicial
warrant" means an order in writing or otherwise pursuant to
section 803-33.5 made by a judge or other magistrate, or a warrant issued
pursuant to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.

"Law enforcement agency" means
any county police department, the department of law enforcement, and any
federal, state, or county public body that employs law enforcement officers.

"Law enforcement officer" means
any public servant, whether employed by the United States, the State, or a county,
who is vested by law with a duty to maintain public order or to make arrests
for offenses or to enforce the criminal laws, whether that duty extends to all
offenses or is limited to a specific class of offenses.

"Operator"
means a person who develops, makes available, or operates a smart household
security device for the public and who collects, retains, or controls access to
smart household security device data associated with a user account
profile.  "Operator" does not
include a retail store solely because the retail store provides access to or
sells a smart household security device.

"Smart household security
device" means a device primarily intended for residential security or
monitoring that:

(1)  Is
installed or affixed to a residential dwelling, accessory structure, or
entryway;

(2)  Continuously
or intermittently captures visual images or audio recordings, or both; and

(3)  Enables
storage, transmission, or remote access to the recordings through a digital
networked system.

"Smart
household security device" does not include a personal computing device,
tablet, or mobile phone when used incidentally for recording; a device used
solely for live two-way communication without recording capability; or a device
owned or operated by a government entity for public surveillance.

"User" means a person who has,
or generates, an account or profile to use a smart household security device."

SECTION 2.
If any provision of this Act, or the application thereof to any person
or circumstance, is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other
provisions or applications of the Act that can be given effect without the
invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this Act
are severable.

SECTION 3.
This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that
were incurred, and proceedings that were begun before its effective date.

SECTION 4.
New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5.
This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.
Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.