Colorado law enforcement will soon have faster access to digital evidence after Gov. Jared Polis signed a pared‑down bill requiring social media companies to acknowledge and respond to search warrants on a tight timeline, a shift from a broader proposal he vetoed last year.

Senate Bill 011, sponsored by Sens. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, and Reps. Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, and Jarvis Caldwell, R-Colorado Springs, also require social media platforms to establish a hotline for Colorado law enforcement agencies to contact them about new and ongoing search warrants.

Platforms will be required to acknowledge receipt of a search warrant within eight hours and provide status updates to law enforcement as the warrant is carried out.

Last session, Polis vetoed Senate Bill 086, which established certain requirements for social media platforms to protect minor users, including a requirement that platforms respond to search warrants within 72 hours.

“As a former Deputy District Attorney, I saw firsthand how critical digital evidence can be in serious criminal investigations,” said Roberts. “Increasingly, warrants are being disregarded or not treated with the seriousness they deserve by social media platforms, and delays in accessing evidence can have real consequences. SB26-011 helps ensure that court-approved warrants are respected so investigators can move quickly and responsibly.”

In his veto letter, Polis said the 2025 bill had good intentions but failed to guarantee the safety of minors or adults; eroded privacy, freedom, and innovation; could hurt vulnerable people; and potentially subject Coloradans to stifling and unwarranted scrutiny of constitutionally-protected speech.

This year’s iteration of the bill was significantly narrowed and mirrors a policy enacted in California last summer.