Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT) and the American Civil Liberties Union might not seem like obvious partners for too many issues, but they’ve teamed up create a new advocacy group called Digital Due Process. Its goal is to get the federal government to update current legislation governing how law-enforcement agencies gain access to electronic data.
The consortium, which also includes DailyFinance parent AOL (AOL), wants Congress to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), which was passed in 1986, and is widely considered to be antiquated.
“Originally designed to protect us from unwarranted government intrusion while ensuring that law enforcement had the tools necessary to protect public safety, it was written long before most people had heard of email, cell phones or the ‘cloud’ — the term used for programs helping people store personal data like photos and documents online,” Richard Salgado, Google senior counsel for law enforcement and information security, wrote in a blog post.
via Google, Microsoft, ACLU Form ‘Digital Due Process’ for E-Privacy Reform – DailyFinance.
