Louisiana has rewritten a state law that made it a crime to publish elected officials’ personal information online. The original law, which went into effect in February, was criticized as unconstitutional and gave a wide range of state government officials privacy protections not granted to the general public.

Changes to the Law

The rewritten law, which will take effect on August 1, eliminates criminal and financial penalties for not complying with the law. It also limits the types of internet posts that are affected by the privacy restrictions and requires that any personal information a public official asks to have removed must have been posted with an intent to harm the official.

The law’s application to online government databases will also be more limited. Public officials will no longer be able to ask private entities and individuals to remove their personal information from social media posts and websites. They will only be able to demand the removal of online, personal information about them from government bodies.

Reaction to the Changes

Transparency advocates have praised the changes to the law, saying that it will help to ensure that government officials are held accountable for their actions. However, some have raised concerns that the law still gives too much protection to public officials and that it could be used to intimidate government critics.

The law has already been used to keep information about public officials out of the public eye. For example, a former Louisiana Supreme Court justice cited the law as a justification for putting his divorce records under seal in 2024.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.