Washington – A new bill introduced in the Senate on Tuesday aims to beef up digital privacy law, by requiring law enforcement to obtain warrants or court orders to search old emails and mobile location information.
Introduced by Sen. Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) Amendments Act will update a 1986 law that extended existing restrictions on wiretaps of phone lines to include digital transmissions.
“Today, this law is significantly outdated and out-paced by rapid changes in technology and the changing mission of our law enforcement agencies after September 11,” Sen. Leahy said in a statement.
“Updating this law to reflect the realities of our time is essential to ensuring that our federal privacy laws keep pace with new technologies and the new threats to our security.”
The bill also includes a provision that will allow service providers to voluntarily disclose content to the government that may be pertinent to address a cyberattack on their network.
Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/3q2c59d (Sen. Leahy statement)
