ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The following statement is attributed to Michael Petricone, senior vice president of government and regulatory affairs, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), regarding the introduction of the ECPA Modernization Act of 2017 by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Mike Lee (R-UT), which would update the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA):
“We thank Sens. Leahy and Lee for fighting to protect citizens’ privacy by bringing electronic communications privacy laws up to speed with modern technology. Americans should know their personal data is protected, no matter where it is stored.
“Under the current ECPA law, data stored on local sources such as your computer or smartphone is better protected from government searches than data stored on the cloud. In 1986 – the last time an electronic communications privacy bill was passed – less than one percent of U.S. households had a wireless phone. Today, over 90 percent of our households have smartphones. Further, if data is stored for longer than 180 days, the current ECPA law does not require the government to obtain a warrant to access it. However, with the proliferation of cloud services, many of our emails get stored for much longer. The ECPA Modernization Act of 2017 will eliminate the different requirements for cloud data, replacing them with a single standard – that the government must always get a warrant, protecting cloud providers and consumers alike.
"We applaud the House and Senate for moving forward on ECPA reform and look forward to working with both chambers as these companion bills move forward.”
About Consumer Technology Association:
Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM is the trade association representing the $321 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, which supports more than 15 million U.S. jobs. More than 2,200 companies – 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world’s best known brands – enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CTA also owns and produces CES® – the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA’s industry services.
UPCOMING EVENTS
-
Innovate! and Celebrate - Register
October 9-11, San Francisco, CA
-
CES Unveiled Paris
October 24, Paris, France
-
CES Unveiled Amsterdam
October 26, Amsterdam, Netherlands
-
CES Unveiled New York
November 9, New York, NY
-
CES Unveiled Las Vegas
January 7, Las Vegas, NV
-
CES 2018
January 9-12, Las Vegas, NV
-
CES Asia 2018
June 13-15, Shanghai, China
