An Important Milestone for Digital Due Process

Posted by Jace Johnson, Vice President of Global Government Relations and Public Policy

This week, digital due process got one step closer to reality as a majority in the United States House of Representatives now supports reforms to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (EPCA). The reforms are part of the Email Privacy Act (H.R. 1852), which creates a clear warrant-for-content standard and further protects the privacy of online communications.

Currently, under EPCA, online communications stored more than 180 days can be obtained by law enforcement with a simple court order or subpoena. As we noted last year, we believe our customers’ private communications deserve constitutional protections no matter where they are stored. Communications stored online for more than 180 days should receive the same protection as those stored on your hard drive. This is why we support the reforms to EPCA that will require a search warrant issued upon probable cause to obtain any communications of our customers stored online.

Adobe applauds the bipartisan coalition of 218 House members co-sponsoring the Email Privacy Act and urges the House Judiciary Committee to pass this bill without delay.