Shimkus Votes for Measure Designed to Improve Email Privacy

Congressman John Shimkus voted Friday to require that government and law enforcement officials obtain a warrant before accessing American citzens' electronic communications.

"Under current law, the government can access any emails that are more than six months old without a warrant," Shimkus explained. "I think most Americans would be surprised by that, so I am pleased to see the House taking action to protect the privacy rights of law-abiding citizens."

Under the Electronic Communication Privacy Act, law enforcement officials may access emails older than six months with only a subpoena. HR 699 would amend the ECPA to require a warrant to obtain those records from third-party service providers.