Groups press for action on requiring warrants for e-mails

Tech and privacy advocates are pressuring House Republicans to take up an e-mail privacy bill without considering amendments that they say would water it down.

The privacy bill has been held up for years, despite general agreement in Congress that the government should be required to obtain a warrant before going to technology companies and demanding copies of e-mails. The fight is centered now on the House Judiciary Committee, which is led by Rep Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). Chairman Goodlatte has promised to mark up the email privacy bill in March 2016, but has yet to set a date. A coalition of several high-profile groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, are pushing for Chairman Goodlatte to move forward immediately. The groups have promised to flood Goodlatte’s office with calls and e-mails urging him to take up the broadly supported bill and avoid harmful amendments.