Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, presented legislation allowing American law enforcement agencies to access messages of U.S. citizens in any part of the world via warrant, Morning Consult reports. Hatch’s measure would also give investigators the ability to obtain warrants for online communications of foreign individuals if they are in countries with law enforcement agreements with the U.S. “It is past time for Congress to modernize the outdated Electronic Communications Privacy Act,” Hatch said in a statement. “As we do so, lawmakers must not ignore the pressing issue of international data privacy and the need for Congress to establish a legal framework for accessing extraterritorial communications. The global reach of government warrant authority has significant implications for multinational businesses and their customers.” Late Thursday morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee decided to hold a markup of ECPA reform until next week because several new amendments were circulated Wednesday night.
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