EFF Latest to Support California ECPA Reform

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the latest organization supporting the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA), which would update the state's electronic privacy statutes. Legislation updating the federal statute related to email privacy was introduced last week (see 1502040045). CalECPA, written by Democratic state Sen. Mark Leno and Republican state Sen. Joel Anderson, reportedly goes further to protect individuals' privacy, as the proposal would view technologies not as a convenience, but devices that hold “the privacies of life,” said an EFF statement. If passed, law enforcement would have to obtain a search warrant before searching a mobile device or requiring a service provider to disclose electronic information. The bill would require transparency and oversight to ensure the law is followed and contains exceptions to the warrant requirement to ensure law enforcement can effectively and efficiently protect public safety. Others that support CalECPA include the American Civil Liberties Union of California, Center for Democracy and Technology, Dropbox, Facebook, Google, reddit, TechFreedom, Twitter and the World Privacy Forum.