The House on Monday unanimously approved a bill that would require the U.S. government to obtain a warrant to search email messages and other electronic files stored in the cloud, Broadcasting & Cable reported Tuesday.
John Eggerton writes the Email Privacy Act would update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and would authorize law enforcement agencies to access online communications more than 180 days old for investigation.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California) sponsored the bill.
“Right now, the rules governing how and when the government can access a person’s emails, photos, documents and other online communications are outdated and do not provide for the same Fourth Amendment protections given to on-paper or in-person communications,” Issa said in a statement released Monday.
“The bill we’ve passed today is an important privacy safeguard that will help cement Americans’ rights in the digital age.”
