i2Coalition Joins in Re-Launching ECPA Reform Effort

Reforming the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) has been a public policy priority for the i2Coalition since we launched one-year ago. The outdated law was enacted in 1986 and despite considerable technology advances since that time, the law is largely unchanged. ECPA creates technologically outdated exceptions to the Constitution’s requirement of a warrant.  This exception makes it extremely difficult to create processes to handle these issues, and significantly invades privacy, and also undermines digital due process.

Due to the pressing need for reform, we are proud to join with a coalition of organizations in re-launching Vanishing Rights, an effort dedicated to reforming ECPA. Vanishing Rights was initially created to support the efforts of the ECPA reform bill from U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT). The initiative was a success and the bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support. The fight isn’t over! We are helping to re-launch Vanishing Rights to focus on the ECPA reform bill in the House of Representatives that was introduced by Representatives Kevin Yoder (R-KS), Tom Graves (R-GA), and Jared Polis (D-CO). We need your help today!

Please visit Vanishing Rights! There are many resources available on the website, including information about ECPA, ways to contact your members of Congress, and how to help join the effort. Here’s how you can help today:

 

• Contact your Representative today in support of ECPA reform
• Share the link to Vanishing Rights on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks
• Write a blog post about our efforts and help spread the word
• Watch the Center for Democracy & Technology’s video on Vanishing Rights “1986 rocked, but it’s time for a privacy upgrade” and share it with others

 

ECPA reform is critical for a free and open Internet and your help is needed to reform the outdated legislation to protect privacy rights for all! Please consider helping today by telling Congress to support updating ECPA now!