Legislative Alert: Congress Considers EPCA Changes

Capitol building

Committees in both the House and Senate have begun consideration of legislation to update the current laws governing law enforcement’s ability to access electronic communications. The Electronic Privacy in Communications Act (EPCA), enacted in 1986, was designed to extend existing legal restrictions covering electronic surveillance on telephones to include transmissions of electronic data by computer. However, over the past 25 years, the rapid changes in technology have given rise to a number of issues that are not directly addressed by the EPCA statute.