S0924 amends South Carolina’s sex offender internet-use restrictions in Section 23-3-555. The bill keeps the existing rule that certain offenders whose crimes involved victims under 18, or who reasonably believed the victim was under 18, may be ordered as a condition of probation or parole not to use the internet to access social networking sites, communicate for the purpose of promoting sexual relations with minors, or communicate with minors in prohibited circumstances. It also preserves the current limited exceptions allowing communication with a minor when the offender is the child’s parent, guardian, or grandparent and is otherwise not barred from contact.
The new provision adds a separate requirement for any person convicted of a sexual offense who must register on the sex offender registry: as a condition of probation or parole, that person must use the name exactly as it appears on the registry when using social networking websites, communicating with others or groups for the purpose of promoting sexual relations, or using dating applications. The bill also sets criminal penalties for violations of these internet-use conditions, with misdemeanor and felony exposure depending on whether the violation is a first or repeat offense. The act takes effect upon the Governor’s approval.
Impact
The bill would expand and clarify judicial conditions of probation or parole for registered sex offenders in South Carolina, adding a mandatory real-name requirement for certain online activity and dating-app use. It would affect Section 23-3-555 of the South Carolina Code of Laws and would apply to offenders already subject to sex-offender registration, as well as those whose offenses involved minor victims under the existing subsection. The measure increases the legal consequences for noncompliance by tying violations to specified misdemeanor and felony penalties.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to be framed as a public-safety and offender-accountability bill, with no recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials. The caption and structure suggest a policy focus on monitoring online conduct by sex offenders and reducing opportunities for deceptive online contact. Because there is no transcript or vote history, there is no documented opposition or support in the supplied record, but the bill’s approach indicates a generally restrictive stance toward online anonymity for this population.
Contention
The main policy tension is between public safety and the scope of restrictions imposed on internet and dating-app use by people on the sex offender registry. Supporters would likely view the real-name requirement as a tool to improve transparency and prevent deceptive online contact, especially in sexual or relationship-seeking contexts. Potential concerns could come from civil-liberties or reintegration perspectives, including whether the rule is overbroad, how it would be enforced, and whether it could interfere with lawful communication or rehabilitation. The bill also distinguishes between offenses involving minors and other sexual offenses, which may raise questions about proportionality and the breadth of the covered conduct.
AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 51-07 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to a commercial entity's liability for publishing or distributing sexual material harmful to a minor; to provide a penalty; and to provide for application.