Septembei 9, 2u14

The Bonoiable Baiiy Reiu

Najoiity Leauei
0.S. Senate
Washington, BC 2uS1u

Beai Leauei Reiu,

We wiite to uige you to biing to the flooi S. 6u7, the bipaitisan Leahy-Lee bill
upuating the Electionic Communications Piivacy Act (ECPA).

0puating ECPA woulu iesponu to the ueeply helu conceins of Ameiicans about theii
piivacy. S. 6u7 woulu make it cleai that the waiiant stanuaiu of the 0.S.
Constitution applies to piivate uigital infoimation just as it applies to physical
piopeity.

The Leahy-Lee bill woulu aiu Ameiican companies seeking to innovate anu compete
globally. It woulu eliminate outuateu uisciepancies between the legal piocess foi
goveinment access to uata stoieu locally in one's home oi office anu the piocess foi
the same uata stoieu with thiiu paities in the Inteinet "clouu." Consumeis anu
businesses laige anu small aie incieasingly taking auvantage of the efficiencies
offeieu by web-baseu seivices. Ameiican companies have been leaueis in this fielu.
Yet ECPA, wiitten in 1986, says that uata stoieu in the clouu shoulu be affoiueu less
piotection than uata stoieu locally. Removing unceitainty about the stanuaius foi
goveinment access to uata stoieu online will encouiage consumeis anu companies,
incluuing those outsiue the 0.S., to utilize these seivices.

S. 6u7 woulu not impeue law enfoicement. The 0.S. Bepaitment of }ustice alieauy
follows the waiiant-foi-content iule of S. 6u7. The only iesistance to iefoim comes
fiom civil iegulatoiy agencies that want an exception allowing them to obtain the
content of customei uocuments anu communications uiiectly fiom thiiu paity
seivice pioviueis. That woulu expanu goveinment powei; goveinment iegulatois
cuiiently cannot compel seivice pioviueis to uisclose theii customeis'
communications. It woulu piejuuice the innovative seivices that we want to
suppoit, cieating one pioceuuie foi uata stoieu locally anu a uiffeient one foi uata
stoieu in the clouu. Foi these ieasons, we oppose a caive-out foi iegulatoiy
agencies oi othei iules that woulu tieat piivate uata uiffeiently uepenuing on the
type of technology useu to stoie it.

S. 6u7 was appioveu by the }uuiciaiy Committee last yeai. We uige you to biing it
to the flooi. We believe it woulu pass oveiwhelmingly, pioving to Ameiicans anu
the iest of the woilu that the 0.S. legal system values piivacy in the uigital age.

Sinceiely,

2
Auobe
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