Press Releases
DelBene: It’s Long Past Time Congress Address Email Privacy
Washington, DC,
February 3, 2016
Tags:
Technology
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today applauded the House Judiciary Committee announcement to hold a markup on the Email Privacy Act (H.R. 699), a bill that would update the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA).
Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today applauded the House Judiciary Committee announcement to hold a markup on the Email Privacy Act (H.R. 699), a bill that would update the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). “When current law affords more protections for a letter in a filing cabinet than an email on a server, it’s clear our policies are outdated,” DelBene said. “Advances in technology and the Internet have dramatically changed the way we communicate, live and work. In this constantly evolving world, Congress must ensure our laws at least keep pace. I’m glad the Committee will move the bill without further delay, and ensure Americans are guaranteed the privacy protections most think they already have.” The Email Privacy Act (H.R. 699) introduced by Rep. Kevin Yoder (KS-03), has more than 300 House cosponsors and would modernize ECPA by requiring law enforcement to obtain a warrant to access emails. Current law allows law enforcement to obtain emails that have been stored by third party providers longer than 180 days without a warrant. DelBene has cosponsored several bills, including the Email Privacy Act, to update ECPA to ensure Americans’ privacy is protected. She has long demanded the Chairman Bob Goodlatte make this a priority for the Committee. # # # |