Report: Senate Email Privacy Bill Rewritten To Allow Warrantless Searches

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has reportedly rewritten a bill his office earlier said would better protect the privacy of Americans’ “electronic communications,” including emails, from government searches. The rewrite of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2011 (ECPA Amendments Act of 2011, Senate Bill S. 1011), was made following complaints from law enforcement associations and now appears to do the opposite, carving out a broad exemption that would allow some 22 federal agencies access to users’ private digital communications, everything from email to Facebook messages, without warrants, according to a CNET report on Tuesday. The bill is scheduled to be offered up for a vote next Thursday, along with a package of other legislation, CNET reported.