[Libs-Or] ACTION: Judiciary Committee Senators face historic “E-Privacy” protection vote

[Diedre Conkling]

http://www.districtdispatch.org/2016/05/judiciary-committee-eenators-face-historic-ecpa-vote/


Judiciary Committee Senators face historic “E-Privacy” protection vote

Posted by: Adam Eisgrau
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/author/adameisgrau/> May 24, 2016 in
Legislation <http://www.districtdispatch.org/category/legislation/>, Privacy
& Surveillance
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/category/privacy-surveillance/>

More good news could be in the offing for reform of ECPA, the Electronic
Communications Privacy Act. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles
Grassley (R-IA) recently (and pleasantly) surprised reform proponents by
calendaring a Committee vote on the issue now likely to take place this
coming Thursday morning, May 26th.  The Committee, it is hoped, will take
up and pass H.R. 699, the Email Privacy Act
<https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/699/>, which was
unanimously approved by the House of Representatives, as reported in District
Dispatch
<http://www.districtdispatch.org/2016/05/ecpa-reform-unanimously-clears-house-senate-fate-uncertain/>,
barely three weeks ago.  (A similar but not identical Senate bill
co-authored by Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy [D-VT], S.
356 <https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/356>, also
could be called up and acted upon.)

Either bill finally would update ECPA in the way most glaringly needed: to
virtually always require the government to get a standard,
judicially-approved search warrant based upon probable cause to acquire the
full content of an individual’s emails, texts, tweets, cloud-based files or
other electronic communications. No matter which is considered, however,
there remains a significant risk that, on Thursday, the bill’s opponents
will try to dramatically weaken that core reform by exempting certain
agencies (like the IRS and SEC) from the new warrant requirement, and/or by
providing dangerous exceptions to law enforcement and security agencies
acting in overbroadly defined “emergency” circumstances.

Earlier today, ALA joined a new joint letter
<http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/advleg/federallegislation/05-24-16%20Coalition%20Letter%20to%20Senate%20Judiciary%20Committee%20Urging%20the%20Committee%20to%20Pass%20the%20Email%20Privacy%20Act%20%28H.R.699%29.pdf>
 signed by nearly 65 of its public and sector coalition partners calling on
Senators Grassley and Leahy to take up and pass H.R. 699 as approved by the
House: in other words “without any [such] amendments that would weaken the
protections afforded by the bill” ultimately approved by 419 of the 435
House Members.

Now is the time to tell the Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that
almost 30 years has been much too long to wait for real ECPA reform. Please
go to ALA’s Legislative Action Center <http://cqrcengage.com/ala/> to email
to your Senate Judiciary Senator now!


http://www.districtdispatch.org/2016/05/judiciary-committee-eenators-face-historic-ecpa-vote/

-- 
*Diedre Conkling*




*Lincoln County Library DistrictP.O. Box 2027Newport, OR 97365Phone & Fax:
541-265-3066Work email**: **diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org*
<diedre at lincolncolibrarydist.org>
*Home email: **diedre08 at gmail.com* <diedre08 at gmail.com>

“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change
your attitude.”―Maya Angelou
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