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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

Hearing on the Email Privacy Act (H.R. 699)

Original title: EMAIL PRIVACY ACT

January 1, 2016

privacy digital communications law enforcement electronic surveillance data security

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing examines proposed changes to the that would determine whether law enforcement must obtain a warrant to access older emails and other digital data stored by third-party service providers.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Technology Companies

These entities manage the data that law enforcement seeks to access and would be subject to new warrant requirements.

Law Enforcement Agencies

These agencies would be required to follow new legal procedures when requesting access to digital communications.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2016.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on December 1, 2015, to discuss H.R. 699, the Email Privacy Act. The session featured testimony from government officials, law enforcement representatives, and technology industry experts regarding the legal standards for government access to private electronic communications.

Why It Matters

This hearing examines proposed changes to the that would determine whether law enforcement must obtain a warrant to access older emails and other digital data stored by third-party service providers.

Key Facts

The hearing was held on December 1, 2015, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
The primary subject of the hearing was H.R. 699, titled the 'Email Privacy Act'.
The committee heard testimony from six witnesses representing the SEC, federal prosecutors, state law enforcement, policy advocacy groups, and the technology industry.
The hearing record includes prepared statements from various members of Congress and witnesses, which are archived for public review.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Email Privacy Act?

It is a legislative proposal (H.R. 699) discussed by the House Judiciary Committee to update privacy laws regarding government access to electronic communications.

Who testified at this hearing?

Witnesses included representatives from the SEC, the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Center for Democracy and Technology, Google Inc., and The Heritage Foundation.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Legislative focus on digital privacy

The hearing highlights a concerted effort in the 114th Congress to modernize privacy laws to reflect the prevalence of cloud-based data storage.

H.R. 699 House Committee on the Judiciary

Connected Entities

personSteven H. Cook“President, National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys.”Map →

organizationHouse Committee on the Judiciary“The committee conducting the hearing.”Map →

personAndrew Ceresney“Director, Division of Enforcement, SEC.”Map →

personJohn Conyers, Jr.“Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee.”Map →

personBob Goodlatte“Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.”Map →

personRichard Salgado“Director, Law Enforcement and Information Security, Google Inc.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy60
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz20
Current news / social attention level

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