JANUARY 21, 2015
Rep. Salmon introduces legislation to protect privacy online
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ-05) recently announced H.R. 283, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2015 and released the following statement.
“The Founding Fathers learned first-hand the cost of unchecked power. That experience, gained the hard way, offered them critical insights into how a government for and by the people ought to conduct itself.
“The Fourth Amendment’s guarantee of security from unreasonable searches of our ‘persons, houses, papers, and effects’ does not disappear because we’ve invented new ways to communicate. Now more than ever it’s important to make sure government doesn’t trample our rights by using those same innovations to see and record every email, instant message, tweet, post, and comment we write.
“The message is simple: Get a warrant. The same procedures law enforcement uses to investigate dangerous criminals and prevent acts of terrorism should apply to people’s digital lives—as should the same protections.”
Rep. Salmon first introduced the Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2013, during the 113th Congress to provide effective legislative and judicial branch oversight of the search practices of law enforcement agencies in the digital age. He has reintroduced the full bill in the 114th Congress. Full text of the bill can be found here: https://salmon.house.gov/sites/salmon.house.gov/files/HR283_ECPA.pdf
