Google , and other technology industry players , testified in Washington last week that the 30-year - old Electronic Communications Protection Act ( ECPA ) , written in 1986 , needs an overhaul . “This pre-digital era law no longer makes sense: users expect, as they should, that the documents they store online have the same Fourth Amendment protections as they do when the government wants to enter the home to seize documents stored in a desk drawer,” said Richard Salgado, Google’s director for law enforcement and information security, in a blog post. A reform on the legislation is now making its way through Congress . The current ECPA allows government agencies to force tech companies to hand over content of their communications without needing a warrant . The law was passed before the digital revolution and needs to be updated , as some believe that the ECPA is hurting US tech companies ' trade relations with other countries .
Google , and other technology industry players , testified in Washington last week that the 30-year - old Electronic Communications Protection Act ( ECPA ) , written in 1986 , needs an overhaul . A reform on the legislation is now making its way through Congress . The current ECPA allows government agencies to force tech companies to hand over content of their communications without needing a warrant . The law was passed before the digital revolution and needs to be updated , as some believe that the ECPA is hurting US tech companies ' trade relations with other countries .