New Jersey statute
N.J.S.A. 2C:20-31.1 — Posting, information, certain, Internet; degree of crime
Current through P.L.2025, c.346, and J.R.22
Part of Chapter 20, New Jersey Statutes.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of N.J.S.A. 2C:20-31.1
Statutory text current through the P.L.2025, c.346, and J.R.22. This publication reproduces the official text of the New Jersey Statutes from the statute files published by the New Jersey Legislature; it is not the official statutes of the State of New Jersey.
1. a. For the purposes of this section:
"Authorized person" means a covered person or any of the following persons hereby authorized to submit or revoke a request for the redaction or nondisclosure of a home address or unpublished telephone number on behalf of a covered person pursuant to subsection c. of this section:
(1) on behalf of any federal judge, a designee of the United States Marshals Service or of the clerk of any United States District Court;
(2) on behalf of any covered person who is deceased or medically or psychologically incapacitated, a person acting on behalf of the covered person as a designated trustee, as an estate executor, or pursuant to a written power of attorney or other legal instrument; and
(3) on behalf of any immediate family member who is a minor and who is otherwise entitled to address redaction or nondisclosure pursuant to this act, P.L.2021, c.371 (C.47:1B-1 et al.), the parent or legal guardian thereof.
"Covered person" means an active, formerly active, or retired judicial officer, law enforcement officer, or child protective investigator in the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, as those terms are defined by section 1 of P.L.1995, c.23 (C.47:1A-1.1), or prosecutor and any immediate family member residing in the same household as the judicial officer, law enforcement officer, child protective investigator in the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, or prosecutor.
"Home telephone number" means any telephone number used primarily for personal communications, including a landline or cellular telephone number.
"Immediate family member" means a spouse, child, or parent of, or any other family member related by blood or by law to, an active, formerly active, or retired judicial officer, law enforcement officer, or child protective investigator in the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, as those terms are defined by section 1 of P.L.1995, c.23 (C.47:1A-1.1), or prosecutor and who resides in the same household as the judicial officer, law enforcement officer, child protective investigator in the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, or prosecutor.
"News media" means newspapers, magazines, press associations, news agencies, wire services, or other similar printed means of disseminating news to the general public.
"Person" shall not be construed to include in any capacity the custodian of a government record as defined in section 1 of P.L.1995, c.23 (C.47:1A-1.1).
b. Upon notification pursuant to subsection c. of this section, and not later than 10 business days after receipt thereof, a person shall not knowingly, with purpose to expose another to harassment or risk of harm to life or property, or in reckless disregard of the probability of such exposure, post, repost, publish, or republish on the Internet, or otherwise make available, the home address or unpublished home telephone number of any covered person, except in compliance with any court order, law enforcement investigation, or request by a government agency or person duly acting on behalf of the agency.
c. An authorized person, as defined in subsection a. of this section, seeking to prohibit the disclosure of the home address or unpublished home telephone number of any covered person consistent with subsection b. of this section shall provide written notice to the person from whom the authorized person is seeking nondisclosure that the authorized person is an authorized person and requesting that such person cease the disclosure of such information and remove the protected information from the Internet or where otherwise made available.
d. A reckless violation of subsection b. of this section is a crime of the fourth degree. A purposeful violation of subsection b. of this section is a crime of the third degree.
e. This section shall not be construed to prohibit a person, business, or association that has received information as unredacted pursuant to the provisions of sections 1 through 3 of P.L.2021, c.371 (C.47:1B-1 through C.47:1B-3) from making the information available consistent with the purposes for which the person, business, or association received the information. A person, business, or association that uses or makes available the information in a way that is inconsistent with the purposes for which the person, business, or association received the information shall be liable as provided pursuant to subsection d. of this section.
f. Nothing herein shall be construed to impose liability on the news media for failure to remove information from previously printed newspapers, and nothing herein shall be construed to impose liability relating to telephone directories or directory assistance unless the covered person has requested to be unpublished in the directory and directory assistance by the applicable publication deadline.
L.2015, c.226, s.1; amended 2020, c.125, s.5; 2021, c.24, s.4; 2021, c.371, s.5; 2023, c.113, s.5.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
What degree of offense is posting, information, certain, Internet; degree of crime in New Jersey?
It depends on the circumstances: posting, information, certain, Internet; degree of crime ranges from a crime of the fourth degree to a crime of the third degree in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2C:20-31.1.
Reckless violation: crime of the fourth degree (N.J.S.A. 2C:20-31.1) · Purposeful violation: crime of the third degree (N.J.S.A. 2C:20-31.1)
Which New Jersey statute covers posting, information, certain, Internet; degree of crime?
Posting, information, certain, Internet; degree of crime is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:20-31.1 (Posting, information, certain, Internet; degree of crime).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.