Many major technology companies, associations and privacy...
Many major technology companies, associations and privacy and civil liberties advocates again urged House and Senate leadership to put respective bills up for a vote to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). Over 75 entities -- including Apple, Facebook,…
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Google, Microsoft and Yahoo -- sent letters Wednesday to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., (http://bit.ly/1lTLAzE) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, R-Nev. (http://bit.ly/1otcl9G). The two bills (S-607 and HR-1852) would require a warrant for government to access personal digital information, similar to a warrant to access personal physical property, the letter said. The ECPA update also “would aid American companies seeking to innovate and compete globally,” the letters said. “Removing uncertainty about the standards for government access to data stored online will encourage consumers and companies, including those outside the U.S., to utilize these services.” Lawmakers and observers have said this narrow ECPA revamp has a high chance of passing Congress this year -- a majority of House members now support the bill -- but a full ECPA overhaul will take years as lawmakers grapple with tougher issues like standards for geolocation (CD July 14 p9). The organizations said there’s almost no opposition to the narrow bills. “The only resistance to reform comes from civil regulatory agencies that want an exception allowing them to obtain the content of customer documents and communications directly from third-party service providers,” the letters said. “This would expand government power.” The Senate bill was approved by the Judiciary Committee last year, but the House bill has not yet moved through committee, the letters said.