CTA Thanks House for Passing Email Privacy Act, Urges Senate to Approve without Delay

The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), regarding passage of the Email Privacy Act as an amendment on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):
 
“We thank the House of Representatives for joining our industry’s commitment to protect and empower consumers to create, share and collect electronic data in a secure and private manner – regardless of where it’s stored or for how long. Under the current rules of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986, government officials can bypass search warrant requirements for any data stored in the cloud longer than 180 days. This legislation eliminates the different requirements for cloud data, replacing them with a single standard so online communications have the same privacy protections as physical mail. This gives consumers confidence that all personal data is legally and equally protected.
 
“As U.S. consumer habits change with the advent of technology, so should our laws. We commend Rep. Kevin Yoder (R–KS) for his leadership helping bring the ECPA up-to-speed with modern technology – this vote is a clear, bipartisan sign that it’s time for federal law to recognize the realities of today’s data storage. We now urge the Senate to advance this important legislation.”