Privacy groups: President Obama should address warrantless e-mail access

Privacy groups are calling on President Barack Obama to address a 1986 law that allows law enforcement to access e-mails without a warrant.

During his State of the Union address, President Obama should discuss updating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) -- which allows for warrantless access to electronic communications that have been stored for more than 180 days -- a bipartisan coalition of privacy advocates said. When President Obama did not address the e-mail privacy law, the groups said they were disappointed that he “neglected to endorse a much-needed update to email privacy laws.” The groups include the ACLU, the Center for Democracy and Technology, Heritage Action for America and Americans for Tax Reform.