The SEC should stop opposing updates to the Electronic...

The SEC should stop opposing updates to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, said think tanks and public interest groups in a Friday letter to the commission (http://bit.ly/1ewXrKZ). “Yes, the SEC -- the agency charged with regulating the securities industry -- has brought the ECPA update to a screeching halt,” said the American Civil Liberties Union in a Friday blog post about the letter, which also included the Americans for Tax Reform, the Center for Democracy & Technology and the Heritage Foundation (http://bit.ly/1kRmZpL). The ACLU said the SEC does not want the law updated to require a warrant to access email older than 180 days, which is the law’s current cut-off. “The SEC is trying to frame the issue as a loss of authority, it is really a power grab -- one that would apply not just to the SEC but all federal and state agencies, including the [Internal Revenue Service], [Drug Enforcement Administration], and even state health boards,” said the ACLU. The SEC did not comment.