i2Coalition Statement On ECPA Amendment

Washington, DC – Internet Infrastructure Coalition (i2Coalition) co-founder and Board Chair Christian Dawson released the following statement in advance of the markup by the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Electronic Communications Privacy Act:

“i2Coalition fully supports Chairman Leahy’s and Senator Lee’s bipartisan amendment that will bring ECPA into the Internet age through the establishment of consistent privacy protections for all types of electronic communications. We urge members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to support the amendment and move the bill forward so that it can be considered by the full Senate as swiftly as possible.

“The reforms proposed by Senators Leahy and Lee will require law enforcement to obtain a warrant before accessing private information that has been stored in the cloud for longer than 180 days. This essential provision will ensure the Constitutional right of due process guaranteed to all Americans and clarify muddled judicial procedures to make it easier for law enforcement officials to do their job effectively.”

On Monday, i2Coalition and nearly one hundred other industry associations and top tech companies signed a letter addressed to Senate Judiciary lawmakers urging the committee to adopt the Leahy-Lee amendment so that law enforcement officials “can obtain electronic communications in all appropriate cases while protecting Americans’ constitutional rights.”