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<section article="gcl" article_name="Commercial Law" number="14-4804" title_number="14" title_name="Miscellaneous Consumer Protection Provisions" subtitle_number="48" subtitle_name="Maryland Age-Appropriate Design Code Act">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, a covered entity that provides an online product reasonably likely to be accessed by children shall prepare a data protection impact assessment for the online product.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>On or before April 1, 2026, a covered entity shall prepare a data protection impact assessment for any online product that:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Meets the criteria under paragraph (1) of this subsection;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Is offered to the public on or before April 1, 2026; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Will continue to be offered to the public after July 1, 2026.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>For an online product that meets the criteria under paragraph (1) of this subsection and is initially offered to the public after April 1, 2026, a covered entity shall complete a data protection impact assessment.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The data protection impact assessment shall:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Identify the purpose of the online product;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Identify how the online product uses children’s data;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Determine whether the online product is designed in a manner consistent with the best interests of children reasonably likely to access the online product through consideration of:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Whether the data management or processing practices of the online product could lead to children experiencing or being targeted by contacts that would result in:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and material physical or financial harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and extreme psychological or emotional harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>A highly offensive intrusion on children’s reasonable expectation of privacy; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>Discrimination against children based on race, color, religion, national origin, disability, gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Whether the data management or processing practices of the online product could permit children to participate in or be subject to conduct that would result in:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and material physical or financial harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and extreme psychological or emotional harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>A highly offensive intrusion on children’s reasonable expectation of privacy; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>Discrimination against children based on race, color, religion, national origin, disability, gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Whether the data management or processing practices of the online product are reasonably expected to allow children becoming party to or exploited by a contract through the online product that would result in:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and material physical or financial harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and extreme psychological or emotional harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>A highly offensive intrusion on children’s reasonable expectation of privacy; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>Discrimination against children based on race, color, religion, national origin, disability, gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>Whether the online product uses system design features to increase, sustain, or extend the use of the online product, including the automatic playing of media, rewards for time spent, and notifications that would result in:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and material physical or financial harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and extreme psychological or emotional harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>A highly offensive intrusion on children’s reasonable expectation of privacy; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>Discrimination against children based on race, color, religion, national origin, disability, gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>Whether, how, and for what purpose the online product collects or processes personal data of children and whether those practices would result in:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and material physical or financial harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and extreme psychological or emotional harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>A highly offensive intrusion on children’s reasonable expectation of privacy; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>Discrimination against children based on race, color, religion, national origin, disability, gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>Whether and how data collected to understand the experimental impact of the product reveals data management or design practices that would result in:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and material physical or financial harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and extreme psychological or emotional harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>A highly offensive intrusion on children’s reasonable expectation of privacy; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>Discrimination against children based on race, color, religion, national origin, disability, gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="vii">
        <text>Whether algorithms used by the online product would result in:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and material physical or financial harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Reasonably foreseeable and extreme psychological or emotional harm to children;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>A highly offensive intrusion on children’s reasonable expectation of privacy; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>Discrimination against children based on race, color, religion, national origin, disability, gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="viii">
        <text>Any other factor that may indicate that the online product is designed in a manner that is inconsistent with the best interests of children; and</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Include a description of steps that the covered entity has taken and will take to comply with the duty to act in a manner consistent with the best interests of children.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>A data protection impact assessment prepared by a covered entity for the purpose of compliance with any other law complies with this section if the assessment meets the requirements of this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>A single data protection impact assessment may contain multiple similar processing operations that present similar risks only if each relevant online product is addressed.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
