What Does The Email Privacy Act Mean?

The House of Representatives passed the Email Privacy Act on February 6, 2017. What surprised me a little was that the bill was passed unanimously amongst the House of Representatives. This bill will reform the 30-year-old Electronic Communications Privacy Act(ECPA).

The bill will prevent government agencies from obtaining electronic communication from suspected criminals. They will have to get a warrant if they want to obtain electric communication for older than 6 months.

Some people are torn about the passing of this bill. Many believe this will make the fight against cybercrime much harder. Others believe that this bill is constitutional and echo the sentiments of the 4th amendment.