E-Mail Privacy Bill Re-Introduced

A bipartisan House contingent has re-introduced the Email Privacy Act, a bill that would require law enforcement to get a warrant before law enforcement could access Internet service provider's digital records, such as e-mails and texts. The bill was introduced by Rep Kevin Yoder (R-KS) and Jared Polis (D-CO), with the backing of Rep Suzan DelBene (D-WA). Rep DelBene pointed out that among the bill's backers are the ACLU, Center for Democracy and Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter. The House was not the problem with the bill in 2015. It was the Senate that couldn't agree on a way forward. The bill passed the House unanimously in the last Congress, but was held over by the Senate Judiciary Committee after amendments were offered that could have undone a compromise approach.