Combating Online Predators Act

Full Title:
COP Act

Summary#

This bill, called the Combating Online Predators Act (COP Act), changes two federal criminal statutes (18 U.S.C. 2252 and 2252A). It adds a new offense for knowingly distributing, offering, sending, or providing a threat to distribute a visual image of a minor — or of a person the defendant believes is a minor — engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The threat must be made in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce and must be given with the intent that the minor (or the person believed to be a minor) create or send a sexually explicit image. The bill inserts the new offense into existing lists of prohibited conduct in both sections and updates cross‑references accordingly.

What it means for you#

  • People who threaten to share sexual images of children (or claim someone is a child) to force a young person to make or send sexual images could be covered by this federal offense when the threat crosses state lines or otherwise affects interstate or foreign commerce.
  • The change targets the act of using a threat to obtain sexually explicit images from a minor, not just the possession or distribution of the images themselves.
  • The bill text does not include specific enforcement procedures or describe how agencies would implement the change.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on costs, budget changes, or appropriations is included in the bill text or metadata provided.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information on statements from supporters or their detailed arguments is included in the bill text or metadata provided.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information on statements from opponents or their detailed objections is included in the bill text or metadata provided.