"The Internet has given the government powerful 21st-century tools for invading people's privacy and monitoring their activities, but the main federal law governing online privacy is a 20th-century relic," a New York Times editorial suggests. Supporting the recent efforts by Digital Due Process, a coalition of technology companies and privacy advocates, to see the 1986 Electronic Communications and Privacy Act (ECPA) updated, the editorial describes the law as not comprehensive enough to cover the many technological advances of the past 24 years. "In the absence of strong federal law," the report states, "the courts have been adrift on many important Internet privacy issues." The Senate and House Judiciary Committees plan to hold hearings on changes to the law this spring. (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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